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Published Tuesday, July 14, 1998, in the San Jose Mercury News Pacific releases logging outline Some activists say Headwaters plan inadequate Associated Press SACRAMENTO -- Pacific Lumber Co. on Monday spelled out its plan to log 200,000 acres of forest, clearing the way for the $380 million purchase of the world's largest privately held stand of ancient redwoods. Environmentalists immediately denounced the plan, saying it does not go far enough to protect wildlife in the Headwaters Forest. Pacific Lumber and federal and state officials, including U.S. Sen. Diane Feinstein, praised it as a major step forward. The long-awaited Habitat Conservation Plan, written by Pacific Lumber in consultation with government scientists, is a key step in the Headwaters purchase pact. The agreement, brokered by Feinstein in February, calls for the purchase of 7,500 acres of Pacific Lumber timber, including 3,000 acres of old-growth redwoods. In exchange, the company, which is owned by Texas financier Charles Hurwitz's Maxxam Corp., agreed to draft a plan that would manage logging and help restore the endangered coho salmon. ``Pacific Lumber, which has been in business for 129 years, is a very significant contributor to the economic well-being of the North Coast and needs to be able to maintain viable, profitable operations,'' company President John Campbell said in a news release. Congress has approved its $250 million share of the deal, but state lawmakers have held up California's $130 million share, saying the deal leaves the coho salmon at risk. The draft of the agreement would permit limited logging within 30 feet of streams where the endangered coho salmon live. Critics, including state Sen. Byron Sher, D-Palo Alto, want a buffer zone five times as wide. The logging plan is based on ``sound science'' and would protect the coho salmon, Assistant Commerce Secretary Terry Garcia said. The plan, which is more than 1,000 pages long, will be released today for 90 days of public comment. A permit probably will be issued to Pacific Lumber in 1999, Garcia said. The entire Headwaters agreement faces a March 1 deadline. Environmentalists have mounted a vigorous campaign against the deal, led by Julia ``Butterfly'' Hill, who has lived for six months in a Humboldt County redwood tree. ``This plan is designed to allow immediate destruction of some incredibly important habitat,'' said Kevin Bundy, a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Information Center. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED The full text of the report can be viewed at http://www.r1.fws.gov/text/species.html . ©1997 - 1998 Mercury Center.
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