No New Logging Plans This Year

As winter storms arrive, Pacific Lumber and their major creditors are in a mediation ordered by the Judge overseeing the PL bankruptcy case. The outcome of the mediation will probably have a huge effect on the future of the North Fork and Upper North Fork of the Mattole River. About 2,000 acres of Oldgrowth Douglas Fir forest stand in the North Fork Drainage, much of the Upper North is blanketed in healthy, large second growth firs and hardwoods with scattered smaller Oldgrowth stands. The Oldgrowth trees here are known to reach 400 years old or greater.

Prior to this, PL submitted a reorganization plan calling for the selling of 22,000 acres sudivided into 160 acre parcels and labeled as "trophy" homes or "kingdoms". This was met with outspoken resistance from residents and the Humboldt County Supervisors that don't live on PL land.

Pacific Lumber has yet to complete their "Watershed Analysis" that was begun over a year ago. We have every reason to believe that PL is trying to build an arguement for the reduction of stream protection buffer zones. These buffer zones are supposed to protect watercourses, and thier inhabitants by keeping soil disturbance far from the creeks and keeping the creeks shaded and cool. The greatly diminished salmon and trout need cold clean water to survive. Downstream human residents also benefit from watercourse buffer zones as they reduce the risk of landslides and flooding. There are unusually high amounts of year-round streams here in the rainbow Ridge area which results in a large amount of forest being protected.

Mattole Wildlands Defenders continue to monitor the situation 24-7-365 or something close to that.

Please get in touch if you have questions and/or want to help.