February 8th 2012

Grayson B. Sandy

The Lumberjack

The thick canopy of the Humboldt forests would seem to be a safe place, but within lies a killer. The killer is a vicious predator sporting claws, teeth, and a relentless will to capture prey that would make the most cunning of hawks jealous. This is not some monstrous jungle cat or colossal grizzly bear, but the Humboldt Marten.

A member of the Mustelidae family, this cat-size relative of the weasel is a subspecies of the American Marten and lives exclusively on the northern coast of Claifornia, with individuals being seen as far north as Oregon.

For all the survival skills and predatory intuition the Humboldt Marten possesses, it cannot fight off the deforestation that is leading to its extinction.

Gregory Schmidt, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist, said the most recent survey of the species indicated there are less than 100 individuals left in the wild and their numbers continue to dwindle with the loss of their habitat.

Martens prefer forests containing large numbers of dead and fallen trees. The jagged landscape provides Martens with adequate protection from predators such as fishers and bobcats, as well as shelter for their dens.

These habitats are known as "old-growth forests" and according to a petition filed in September 2010 by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Environmental Protection Information Center, these are the only places where the Humboldt Marten can thrive.

Many of Humboldt county's coastal redwood forests are considered to be old-growth forests. And vast though they may be, hundreds of thousands of acres of these forests are owned by private logging companies and Andrew Orahoske, Conservation Director at the Environmental Protection Information Center, said logging companies such as Humboldt Redwood Company strive to maintain old-growth forests because older trees yield not only more timber, but better timber. They take only what they need and allow certain areas to grow relatively untouched for many years, allowing trees to flourish while preserving valuable old-growth habitat.

Gary Raymierson, manager of Forest Policy and Communication at Green Diamon Resource Company, one of the largest logging companies on the North Coast said, "Our harvesting is generally in young-growth forests. That being said, we are still trying to understand the true habitat needs for this species."

Orahoske made the distinction between Humboldt Redwood Company and Sierra Pacific Industries, a company that according to him exhibits "nothing close to conservation." The Lumberjack contacted Sierra Pacific Industries and several other logging companies for comment, but only Green Diamond agreed to respond for the article.

"Companies with this mentality must change their practices if the Humboldt Marten is to havea  chance," he said. "It's not simply about protecting what's left, it's about creating new areas for [Humboldt Marten] and creating strategies that lead to their eventual recovery."

The Environmental Protection Information Center and the Center for Biological Diversity have been petitioning for the Humboldt Marten to be placed on the Endangered Species List. The two groups maintain that with so few animals left in the wild, it is imperative that this species be protected under federal law. Doing so would require logging companies to develop plans to preserve the species and change logging practices to accomodate the animals.

Orahoske said before the forests were logged, Humboldt Martens were very common because they had a lot of habitat to forage and raise their young. He said that problem is that, while we have been good at protecting what is left of the old-growth forests, there isn't a plan to restor the old-growth forests that were destroyed.

"In order for the Marten to survive in our increasingly populated world, wildlife can no longer be simply left alone," Orahoske said. "We must strive to live alongisde these ancient environments and find a balance that will preserve existing ecosystems while protecting endangered animals."

Issue Date: Wed 2012-02-08