Statement from Mendocino Redwood Company Regarding Its Communication Plans for the Campaign on Fire Safety Referendum
Thursday November 19, 2015
This is the first time our company is the subject of a referendum effort. California campaign laws and regulations are strict and comprehensive requiring that we account for and publicly report any expenditure we make in explaining our positions. We have consulted with advisors who are specialists in campaign law and communications. Just as we have since Mendocino Redwood Company (MRC) was formed in 1998, we will work to tell our story to the public. This will include public media, some advertising and making our case directly by engaging the community face to face via social media and field visits.
We believe this is an important opportunity to build a much broader public understanding, appreciation and trust in:
- Our engagement in and contributions to fire-safety in the County,
- Our contributions to the local quality of life and economy,
- Our 17 years of working to be good forest stewards and a successful business, and
- Our efforts to restore our forest to a much healthier state of mixed conifers.
We are also rehabilitating forest structures such as fish habitat, and protecting endangered species that support and thrive in a healthy forest. After more than a decade studying alternatives, we concluded the most effective way to bring back a healthy conifer forest was to treat tan oak, selectively, carefully, in the woods, literally tree by tree. If left untreated, tan oak will continue to overwhelm the forest to the detriment of restoring our redwood and Douglas fir forest in a time frame that matters to those of us alive today.
With proactive transparency and disclosure as required by law, our efforts and campaigning will be conducted as we run our business.
We work to be transparent and publish enormous amounts of information about our company, including our inventory and many other details of our forest management practices on our website,
www.MRC.com. We have a publicly-stated, long-standing policy of taking anyone anywhere on the property to see our practices firsthand. For some who may find visiting our forest challenging, we will provide assistance. We also post video of activities and forest science work at
http://www.mrc.com/about-us/forestry-videos/. And you can follow our activities on:
Facebook- Mendocino Redwood Forestry
Twitter- @MendoForestry
We welcome the opportunity to discuss how we manage our lands in Mendocino County. If you have any questions about this letter or the company, please call me personally at the number below. If you would like a tour of the property, please call 707-463-5113.
Sincerely,
Bob Mertz
Chief Executive
707-467-3385
