Opinion: Cal Fire's forest management undermining California's climate goals

"Troublingly, Cal Fire's flawed models systematically underestimate logging emissions and overestimate regrowth, conveniently ignoring how climate change hamstrings regrowth and fuels wildfires that yet more emissions. In fact, forest growth has been slowing around the world , in Mendocino's Jackson forest, which could devolve into a " zombie forest " like that in the Sierra foothills where growth of established trees has fully stalled and new ones cannot sprout."

"After acquiring the land in 1947, Cal Fire liquidated nearly all remaining old-growth trees (20,000 acres worth), continuing into the 1980s . The only period in modern times that carbon storage increased there was during a decade-long moratorium following protests and litigation . Logging later resumed under an archaic mandate and approval processes that a past Cal Fire director and say still violates key laws such as CEQA and works at cross purposes to the missions of other agencies."

"Putting the cart before the horse and reneging on public commitments to the contrary, Cal Fire is forging ahead with more logging before completing a long-overdue update of its overarching Forest Management Plan to ensure environmental protections and resolve ambiguities as to whether they areCal Fire in compliance with legislation calling for tribal co-management. These antics are supercharging a decades-long controversy"

Cal Fire manages 14 state-owned forests totaling 85,000 acres and conducts industrial logging alongside recreation and conservation functions. Cal Fire's models reportedly underestimate emissions from logging and overestimate regrowth potential, while climate change impedes regrowth and raises wildfire risk. Global forest growth has slowed and Mendocino's Jackson forest faces possible transition into a stalled "zombie forest." Cal Fire bought land in 1947, removed nearly all old-growth across roughly 20,000 acres through the 1980s, and only saw carbon gains during a decade-long moratorium. Logging resumed under an outdated mandate amid legal and procedural controversy, and further cutting proceeds before a needed Forest Management Plan update and clarity on tribal co-management.

Read at The Mercury News