Earth First! Blocks Sierra Pacific Sawmill Entrance

Here's a recent article from the Earth First! website. Old growth logging continues. These are your forests America... -Mark

old growth trees in an SPI clearcut plan 2012, Mattole watershed, Humboldt County, California

Earth First! Blocks Sierra Pacific Sawmill Entrance

Manila, Ca. – 30 Earth First! activists protesting Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) logging practices rallied peacefully outside the gates of SPI’s Arcata mill on Monday, demanding a stop to the company’s logging of old-growth.

“We’re here to expose SPI’s destructive logging” said Jeremy Jensen. “They claim to be sustainable under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative label but SPI intensively clear-cuts and logs old-growth forests all over California.”

Demonstrators blocked the logging truck entrance to the mill, holding banners reading “SFI is a scam” and “Stop old-growth logging.” They stood in front of a truck trying to enter the mill, disrupting logging traffic for half an hour.

In addition, three activists delivered a list of demands directly to the administration office at the mill stating in part that EF! Humboldt wants “Sustainable, light, selection logging, restoration of wildlife habitat and a rate of harvest that restores rather than depletes the forest.”

Earlier in the day, an activist was handcuffed and detained by police in Arcata while hanging a banner on an overpass that read “Sierra Pacific Logs Old-growth”. He was later released with a warning.

The activists cite two examples of SPI’s clear-cutting and old-growth logging plans in Humboldt County. One, a 245 acre logging plan in the Mattole River and Bear River watersheds, and another in Redwood Creek totaling 241 acres. Click here to view photos.

In the 21st century the remaining old growth forests have incalculable value and these private timber corporations are stealing them from under our noses.  Forests like this need to be protected, and clear-cut logging needs to stop,” said Elise Gerhart.

The SPI timber company owns 1.9 million acres, making it the second largest private landowner in North America. The bulk of this land lies in the forests of northern California.  The company’s logging practices are certified sustainable by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

SFI is one of the largest certifiers of logging operations in the country. It was originally created by the American Pulp & Paper Association. For more information click here.

Earth First! is an international movement dedicated to using direct action to protect threatened ecosystems from runaway resource extraction.