July 17, 2000
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This summer, Pacific Lumber has approved timber harvest plans in Stafford, Freshwater, the Mattole, and even in the heart of the Headwaters Reserve. The Headwaters Forest Agreement, unless successfully challenged, will destroy ancient trees and priceless habitat because it is based on politics and profit instead of the true needs of all interconnected species. Because of this back-room deal, steep slopes and streams lack necessary protection. Destructive clear-cutting and herbicide spraying could be locked into place for the next 50 years. The hole in the Headwaters (THP 520) must be protected in order to stop further fragmentation of the remnant groves. We at the Circle of Life Foundation believe that the Headwaters Forest Reserve should be managed to protect the ecological viability and critical habitat for old-growth-dependent species.
We must continue to advocate on behalf of all life for the basic rights of clean air, pure water, and healthy forests. Protecting Luna is a stepping stone in our path of preserving and restoring forests. Yet we must band together and employ a variety of strategies to protect our precious forests, including direct action, lobbying, grassroots organizing, litigation, and public comment.
It is vital to defend the areas that are threatened. It is also necessary to embody the solutions that we want to see in the world. When we speak out or put our bodies in the way of destruction, let us also articulate a vision of sustainable forestry, tree-free paper, value-added products, and harvesting annually-renewable fruits of the forest.
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TOC for Forest & River News, Summer 2000