Fall, 1992 (v5n1)
by David Campbell, SAREP
A series of three, SAREP-funded workshops on sustainable forestry
management options for non-industrial landowners has resulted
in proposed regulations now being considered by the California
Board of Forestry. The new regulations would provide important
incentives to encourage small landowners to manage their forests
in a way that balances economic viability and environmental sustainability.
The workshops, which took place in Briceland, Eureka, and Dunsmuir,
were coordinated by Kim Rodrigues, Cooperative Extension
forest advisor for Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. Rodrigues
brought together small landowners, professional foresters, environmentalists,
and regulators to discuss the implementation of recent legislation
in the California Forest Practices Act. The legislation allows
non-industrial forest landowners with fewer than 2,500 acres of
timberland to file non-industrial timber management plans (NTMPs)
rather than the traditional timber harvesting plans (THPs). The
NTMP is a long-term plan providing for sustainable forest growth
and uneven-aged management practices. (Uneven-aged provides for
at least three distinct age or size classes distributed throughout
the forest.) The THP has a shorter-term of three to five years
and does not require uneven-aged management.
There is widespread agreement in the agroforestry community that
past laws and regulations have often encouraged poor management
decisions, resulting in many forest lands badly in need of restoration,
according to Rodrigues. Massive erosion problems, poor regeneration
of desired species, and forest conversion from predominantly conifer
to hardwood stands are just some of the problems that threaten
fish and wildlife habitat, soil fertility, tree health, and forest
productivity.
But there remain important disputes about how best to achieve
sustainable forestry. The workshops provided an open forum for
discussion and dialogue, resulting in greater clarity about issues
at dispute, and a slow building of trust among the parties.
"Often the biggest obstacles we face are not the limits of
natural resources, but conflict between individuals with economic
and social differences," Rodrigues said. "The workshops
succeeded in bringing together a core group that is having a significant
impact in changing the existing regulations. It's not a long-term
solution, but it is an important step in the right direction."
Among the changes being sought is a way to help landowners reduce
the high cost of hiring a Registered Professional Forester (RPF)
to complete the NTMP. The new proposal would decrease these costs
by facilitating a more active role for landowners and the Department
of Forestry in developing the plans, limiting the need for the
relatively costly services of the RPF. Without these and other
proposed incentives, landowners seeking to be good stewards of
their forest would find it economically difficult or impossible
to do so.
Each of the workshops included a field day to allow participants
to learn more about specific forest management techniques.
"On the ground you get at people's real concerns in a way
you can't in a classroom setting," said Rodrigues. "I
think we really began to foster a greater sense of stewardship
among the landowners."
Rodrigues anticipates that forestry regulations and restrictions
will continue to change rapidly, with an increasing emphasis on
long-term sustainability. She fears that unless those regulations
are accompanied by incentives for small landowners, they will
be asked to shoulder too much of the cost of reversing past abuses.
"It is time we quit imposing further legislative restrictions
and start fostering a sense of stewardship by providing education,
incentives, and benefits to non-industrial timberland owners,"
Rodrigues said.
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