March 22nd 2001

By Nancy Budge
Director of Stewardship
Mendocino Redwood Co.

Fort Bragg Advocate
March 22, 2001

Articles continue to be written with questions about Forest Stewardship Council certification and Mendocino Redwood Co.'s forestry practices. The questions come from activists who criticize the certification process, and from businesses wondering why we are spending money and time on a group of scientists who have little interest in the economic success of a company. Some issues really standout because they continue to be misrepresented despite open communication from MRC.

The first is the protection of the rare and magnificent old growth trees. During 2000, MRC in conjunction with a number of forestry experts, ecologists, and neighbors developed an encompassing definition of old growth by species. This definition is key in order for protections to be implemented and enforced. It was posted on our website last August and can be found at www.mrc.com.

Very little old growth is left in Mendocino County and MRC is protecting its old growth trees from any kind of commercial harvest. MRC has mapped old growth stands in its forests and found 130 previously unharvested acres and another 1,250 harvested acres that still provide significant old growth habitat. By far the most old growth trees on MRC lands exist in the form of scattered residuals (a few outstanding examples can be found at the Navarro picnic grove just off Highway 128.) These individual trees are also being mapped and put in a database for protection and monitoring.

A second issue is ensuring that harvesting is occurring at a sustainable and restorative rate. MRC's rate of harvest is being reviewed in a process that began in early 2000 and will be finished by the end of this year. The process is based on building forest values for fish, wildlife and communities as well as economic value for the owners. Modeling harvest rates based on economics alone is easy. Modeling the appropriate harvest rates for restoring upslope and aquatic habitat, forest restoration, and soil protection is complex and time consuming. As portions of this work are being implemented, MRC is harvesting at less than 2 percent of its forest inventory and less than 60 percent of its annual forest growth. MRC will share the results of its long-term harvest planning with the public in 2002.

A third issue is the use of man-made chemicals in managing the forest. In December 2000, MRC announced an immediate decrease in the amount of Garlon used on MRC forestlands of 90 percent or more. MRC also committed to reduce its aggregate chemical use by 60 percent or more in four years and to implement a strategy to eliminate herbicides altogether.

MRC's use of chemicals is tied to restoring the forest landscape to native redwood forest types. MRC made its commitment to the reduction of herbicides after spending the last two years setting up experimental sites using alternatives to industrial herbicides and using tractor and manual removal of competing vegetation. Preliminary results combined with a strong mindset to focus on alternative solutions have given MRC the confidence that we can achieve this significant change in a reasonably brief period of time.

Forest Stewardship Council certification taught us about how we can adjust our practices to make our vision of restoration mesh with our vision of being a viable company. We believe that our forestry practices will lead to real progress in the restoration of Mendocino County's redwood forests and river systems. This is what truly matters most and that's where MRC and the community should focus our work together. The certification team endorsed our path. We believe the community is increasingly supportive of our efforts as well.