Deal to protect redwood forest
9/28/96
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Feds sign deal to protect redwood forests
Environmentalists describe it as an'insult'
September 28, 1996
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Officials Saturday signed an International.
11th hour deal to protect the world's largest privately-held stand of
virgin redwoods, although conservationists are calling the agreement
a sellout to timber interests.
Under the terms of the $380 million tentative agreement, which must
be approved by Congress, state and federal governments would obtain
the 3,000 acre Headwaters Forest and 4,500 acres of adjacent forest.
In turn, Pacific Lumber Co. would get $380 million from state and
federal sources and agree not to conduct any logging there for 10
months. That would give officials time to finalize the deal and make
the remote area 280 miles north of San Francisco a preserve, putting
an end to the salvage logging of the towering trees, some more than
1,000 years old.
But environmental groups weren't included in the negotiations, and
some described it as little more than a sham that fails to protect
some of the world's most magnificent trees from the chainsaw.
Darryl Cherney of Earth First called the agreement "an insult" and
Josh Kaufman of the Sierra Club said four out of six redwood groves
remain vulnerable, with logging "a near certainty."
Environmentalists argue that logging damages the fragile ecosystem of
the coastal area.
But U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein of California, who worked out the
deal, describes it as "win-win." She notes that 7,000 acres of virgin
forests including the Headwaters Forest will be preserved. Also
included is the Elkhead Springs forest, a buffer of 4,200 acres, and
150 acres on the banks of the North fork of the Elk River.
The Maxxam Corp. gives 8,000 acres of less sensitive timber to its
Pacific Lumber subsidiary, which owns and manages more than 190,000
acres of timberland in California.
"We have a contiguous unique preserve that links together with a
buffer two stands of ancient redwoods," said Feinstein.
The agreement puts a 10 month moratorium on logging in two groves
included in the preserve, but four other groves and 200,000 acres in
Humboldt County will be unprotected as part of a habitat conservation
plan.
Logging in these areas could begin as early as Monday. "It's our
intention at some point we will be logging in all of the areas
covered by that plan," said Pacific Lumber President John Campbell.
Protesters have stepped up their opposition to the logging. In the
past month, more than 1,000 were arrested, including singer Bonnie
Raitt, in connection with the Headwaters controversy.
Environmentalists said they wanted an agreement to preserve 60,000
acres, and nothing less would suffice.
Feinstein said that's not possible, adding that the acreage
transferred to state and federal ownership will provide adequate
protection for the wildlife and fish habitat in the area.
Logging opponents are also trying to make an issue of the financial
background of Charles Hurwitz, head of Maxxam, which owns the
Headwaters Forest.
He once owned a Texas savings and loan. It failed, costing taxpayers
$1.6 billion. Environmentalists said the government should pressure
Hurwitz to trade the entire redwood acreage for that debt.
Hurwitz denies there is a debt, but the federal government has filed
two lawsuits that are pending involving his defunct thrift.