Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center

MOUNTAIN THIN PROJECT-GROUND TRUTHING
—by Michelle Berditschevsky

The way the Mountain Thin project is going clearly demonstrates an element that is key for forest protection in a political climate that undermines legal and policy protection. The key is local public involvement (is this a surprise?). For that matter, this is the key to protection of just about anything—water, meadows, scenic quality, open space, sacred place….
Process is everything in the current political atmosphere: becoming informed, giving input, talking to each other, requesting forums, thinking outside the box to the real values at stake, and being committed for the long haul from beginning to end.
For the Mountain Thin project on Mount Shasta, this has meant over four years of involvement at every stage in the process, from the first public scoping meetings, comment periods, appealing the project, and now on the ground….

Our appeal was based on not seeing enough protections in the Environmental Assessment (EA), which only came out at the time of the Record of Decision. We appealed the decision because there was no clear limit on taking old growth trees, conserving critical habitat and species diversity, or protecting scenic and cultural qualities, all the while acknowledging that some thinning was needed for forest health and fire protection.
This summer a court ruled that environmental studies had to be released to the public before a decision can be issued. However, we couldn't use that to advantage for the Mountain Thin because we had already raised the deficiencies in the EA in our appeal.
In attempting to negotiate a solution to the appeal with District Ranger Mike Hupp, we were assured that though promises couldn't be made in the environmental documents (due to fear of setting precedents), the Forest Service is aware and committed to the protection of the qualities we all value on Mount Shasta. We wanted to see them on paper and lost the appeal.
Earlier this fall the time came to test the Forest Service's promises on the ground. Together with a handful of local folks, including myself and Kyle Haines, who I believe invented the term "ground truthing," we visited a number of the marked units. These included higher elevation units, units near riparian areas, those in critical habitat, and lower ones within the plantations that have pockets of diverse species. We also visited the Wagon Thin area, a similar thinning project from eight years ago.
I'm pleased to say that we liked what we saw in most instances. The big trees are being spared, the owls will have adequate canopy, and shade will grace the creek banks. Of course, we'll continue our vigilance in monitoring of the project in late spring after the snows melt.

PILGRIM "VEGETATION MANAGEMENT" PROJECT
We continue to have our eye on this project at the southern base of Mount Shasta, involving thinning, fuel treatment, and near obliteration of areas said to be infested by pine beetle, while selling a huge volume, up to 30 million board feet, of timber. Waiting on better weather for a field trip promised by District Ranger Mike Hupp, we again invite interested people to join us in the field to learn more about the forest. Please call us (again) at (530) 926-5655 if you wish to be informed of the field date or want to help with monitoring.