Earth First! Humboldt

Earth First! Humboldt’s Position on the “McKay 09” Logging Plan

By Jeremy “Farmer” Jensen and Earth First! Humboldt 1/24/12

Forest Description

See Map

The 7,200 acre McKay Tract has been heavily logged over the past century leaving very few mature stands of trees. The largest contiguous grove of old forest over 70 years old is found on Henderson Gulch and is targeted for logging in Green Diamonds “McKay 09″ logging plan #1-08-102. Green Diamonds color coded age class map that we have seen is largely inaccurate and does not match their own description of the McKay 09 plan area.

Note: It is hard to fully describe the forest in words, seeing it for oneself is very eye opening and awe inspiring.

The timber harvest plan (THP) contains two distinct but connected areas, the eastern area is Northridge Grove and the western area Millennia Grove. The forest habitat is bridged through the riparian zone of the creek in Henderson Gulch. There is a diversity of tree species including Redwood, Douglas Fir, Sitka Spruce, Western Hemlock, Grand Fir, Big Leaf maple, and Red Alder.

The Millennia Grove area was only partially logged in the original clear-cutting of the Ryan Creek watershed in the early 1900’s, leaving many trees that were smaller at the time, some giant ones and the occasional several acre patch intact. Along the ridge tops there has been some salvage logging after a major windstorm about 35 years ago and a little intrusion of clear-cutting from a more recent THP. This created a zone where third growth is intermixed with the older trees.

Northridge Grove is more “even aged” with a predominate age class of around 80-90 years old.

Unit A of the THP is in Northridge Grove and totals 19 acres. They plan 11 acres of clear-cutting and 8 of selection logging.

Unit B is in Millennia Grove and totals 41 acres, including 21 acres of clear-cutting and 13 of selection logging.

Millennia Grove

The forest here is diverse in age and has a complex structure. It is highly functional wildlife habitat very similar to Old-growth forest. Many species can be observed here including Northern Spotted Owls, Osprey, Red Tail Hawks, Pileated Woodpeckers, Tree Voles, Flying Squirrels, Chipmunks, Black Bears, Blacktail Deer, Hummingbirds and an array of songbirds. The forest is bordered on two sides by clear-cuts, homogeneous young growth forest on the eastern edge and suburbs to the west.

In this area there are roughly four main age classes of trees and the mixture varies depending on where you are in the grove. The oldest age class, indisputably old-growth, is scattered across the entire THP area, commonly on the more steep and inaccessible terrain. These old-growth can be 8 or more feet wide with heights estimated at over 250 feet. These are sometimes called “Residual Old-growth” because they were left during the initial logging.

The next age class, what we simply call “Residuals”, was present during the original stand, but the trees were considered too small according to the standard of that day and were left.

These trees are sometimes identifiable by charcoal on their bark, signifying to us that they survived the fires set to clear brush and facilitate log extraction during the original logging (see North Coast Journal May 21, 2009 “The McKay Tract” by Heidi Walters). Redwood trees such as these may have been suppressed by the Old-growth canopy and lack of growing space for hundreds of years and then grew rapidly after logging. This type of tree has what is called an “Old-growth core” though many resemble very large second growth.

The third age class is the true second growth, trees that are over 100 years old that grew following the original logging.

And finally there’s the young growth that I referred to earlier, aged around 35 years.

The slopes leading down to the creeks are covered in old second growth, residuals and scattered residual old-growth. This is where patches of forest can be found that have never been logged. The canopy is this area reaches upwards of 150 ft. .

Nesting cavities created by woodpeckers are often visible, as well as the occasional stick nest.

There is a scattering of trees, small and large, marked for retention (aka “wildife trees”) that will be at risk of being blown down if the surrounding trees are cut. The habitat value of the trees will also be diminished without the shelter and screening of cavities and nest sites provided by the surrounding forest canopy.

Millennia Grove is where the tree-sits are located.

Northridge Grove

The trees are surprisingly large for their age (over 80 years old), and are home to many species. We have heard Spotted Owls there but haven’t seen them. We have witnessed and documented Flying Squirrels in this area.

What We Want

- The described habitat should be protected as a wildlife sanctuary, with no logging, aside from the possibility of restoration forestry in the third growth dominated area.

- If Green Diamond simply withdraws the “McKay 09” logging plan it would significantly defuse the situation and negate the need for tree-sits, assuming no further logging was proposed for the grove. To log this area would be to eliminate a significant portion of the habitat conservation value of the McKay Tract.

- Restrict public access to the interior of Millennia Grove to guided tours along the lines of the Headwaters Preserve.

- No clear-cutting in the McKay tract.

- Restoration Forestry only in the McKay Tract, meaning logging no more than one third of the volume of tree growth annually.

- Group selection or single tree selection only.

- No take of Spotted Owls and other endangered or threatened species.

- Establish the described habitat and a surrounding buffer zone area as a wildlife sanctuary.

- Work towards eliminating the threat of residential/suburban development in the Ryan Creek Watershed. Alternatives to suburban development- camp sites, eco-lodges, interpretive centers etc. Maybe allow cabin type housing units for caretakers, docents, or camp hosts.

Who actively supports us?

- Our group receives direct donations from many private individuals who

support our work, mainly people living in Humboldt County.

- The Trees Foundation helps to secure grant funding for local activists

to be reimbursed for some expenses. This is limited only to outreach and organizing expenses. They are not involved with tree-sitting or other civil disobedience.

Stormy weather is really setting in, but we’re hanging in there.

A few scenes to imagine from the past few days- tree-sitters barely staying dry through quick thinking, rags, jackets, cordage and ingenuity as rain attempts to penetrate every small gap in our shelters, huddled under our tarps in relative dark using headlamps to read during the day while frequently glancing up to check for leaks, isolated even from each other by distance, deluges and the sound of rushing wind and rain for over 24 hours. Filling nearly every empty bottle with rainwater, a major coup! A multi-species flock of small songbirds including Juncos and others with striking yellow stripes across their faces venture near the tree-sits as they forage for bugs among rain-sodden, dripping branches. Check out the link below.

Update from the trees, Jan 20th

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This summer, forest defenders with Earth First! Humboldt went into the field to capture images rarely seen by the public of Green Diamond’s extensive clear-cutting. Sealed by locked gates, masked by beauty strips and accessed by labyrinthine logging roads, reality on Green Diamond land is harsh. Now, 57 photos of what we witnessed are georeferenced on Google Maps and Google Earth through Panoramio.

To explore the path, just activate the photo layer in Google Maps or Earth and look directly southeast of Big Lagoon (and the smaller mill pond) to see the photos and where they were taken. The user name is “nthawoodz”

More pictures here.

We plan to continue to bring to the public high quality images of forest devastation vainly hidden by corporate image consultants and rusting steel gates.

Earth First!

As protests against Wall Street grow bigger and stronger, we continue our campaign in the forest against the same forces of greed and exploitation intent on liquidating the trees as if they were only numbers in a portfolio. As you can see in the picture, Green Diamond continues to clear-cut our precious temperate rainforest like there’s no tomorrow. As we hold back the chainsaws in the McKay for the 4th winter, we look ahead at our options. There is much to defend here and around the world so the art of forest defense must spread. We offer education in tree-climbing and rigging, direct action tactics and strategy, navigation, forestry issues, wild plants and animals, building shelters in the forest, and more. All participants learn basic climbing and life-safe knots. So come here to learn, while at the same time helping to defend this wild refuge. We prefer visits of one week or more. We are especially looking for long-termers who can spend 3 months to a year in this campaign.  To apply for longer term participation, or to just say hi, please send us an email.

Here are some words of inspiration shared by a friend of the campaign:

We are a generation called to action. We are called to be the action necessary to create a world free of war, free of exploitation, to heal the damages done by a greedy society’s past. Only by raising our voices and answering that call can we live in the reality of our vision.

“Not only is another world possible, she is on  her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”
This future is peace. To get there we must not only implement the principles of nonviolence as a tactic, but to use it successfully, we ourselves must be nonviolent. We must emanate it through  our actions, our words, and our presence. Let it become so overwhelming that society can only help but succumb to it and eventually it will become the pulse of our new world.

Our goal is not to draw the line of us and them. It is to define a role for all to play. In order for success, we will need the masses. Whisper in the ear of someone you know. Pass it along. Tell so many that this small vibration explodes into a rally cry. A cry for hope, dignity, equality… This future isn’t so far away. It begins with you.

Earth First!

No Compromise!

Boycott California Redwood’s crappy clear-cut lumber!

The California Department of Deforestation has granted Green Diamond an extension on their plan to clear-cut the grove that we have been defending for three years. The plan is eligible for two one-year extensions including this one. The seasonal restrictions on destroying Northern Spotted Owl nesting zones will end once more on the 15th of August. Then Green Diamond may use one of their permits to harass, harm or kill this endangered species. N. Spotted Owls continue to decline in numbers throughout their range.

Not that wildlife isn’t great company, but we’d hoped that the logging corporation would abandon this highly destructive plan and let the forest stand as part of a new Community Forest that GD announced they were seeking to establish. Instead, they’ve given us cause to redouble our efforts.

Would you like to live in the tree village (or do ground work) for a week to a year? Let us know!

While we have been focused on this part of the forest, Green Diamond and other timber companies continue the plunder of our life-sustaining systems. We are part of a widespread movement to confront and avert the death by 1,000 cuts of our forests (and all) ecosystems. Deforestation is one of the leading contributors to the climate disaster. Boycott the Green Diamond brand-name California Redwood Company and get your local retailers to stop selling it! Retail locations here.

Green Diamonds Aren’t Forever!

End Clear-cutting!

Earth First!