Do you know where the tallest tree in the world lives? This magnificent redwood lives in Montgomery Woods State Reserve, a precious 1,000-acre "protected area" in Mendocino County. She stands in a beautiful valley, nestled among her sisters, many of them among the world's tallest trees. As a State Reserve, Montgomery Woods is considered a jewel, and the state Parks Department is supposed to protect it. However the California Department of Forestry (CDF) doesn't have the same mandate. The tallest tree and her sisters are now being threatened.
Timber Harvest Plan 1-00-364 MEN was approved by CDF for a private parcel bordering the Reserve, on a ridge to the northwest which is a buffer between the tall trees and the ocean winds. This THP threatens the tall trees by allowing the cutting of trees that serve as their windbreak. The plan does not require the landowner to replant trees. The proposed cut further threatens the water quality at the headwaters of the south fork of the Big River, and the few salmon or steelhead that exist there. Most of the remaining large redwood trees on this property have been marked to be cut. There are many reasons why this plan never should have been approved.
Two years ago, a group of activists launched a campaign to save these trees that serve as a windbreak, which are crucial to the protection of Montgomery Woods and the world's tallest trees. We first worked within the system. Then we protested at the CDF office. But the plan was still approved. We went to the Parks Department to ask that they buy the property. Incredibly, we were told it is not special enough. We lobbied our legislators, yet still no protection was forthcoming. Forest defenders engaged in civil disobedience. Some trees, including three of the larger redwoods, were cut before we stopped the logging temporarily. We went to land trusts and private foundations asking for money, but have not been successful. None of those actions has stopped the threat to the tall trees. We need your help.
A fund has been started to purchase the property in order to save the trees. Join us and support this purchase. For more information or to participate, please contact Ed Nieves (937-0637, e-mail edwin@pacific.net) or contact the MEC at 468-1660.
Stop the cut! Help save the tallest tree in the world.
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 2002
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