Tell the Forest Service Not to Log Mt. Pinos
The Forest Service plans to expedite logging across miles of forests in a site that is sacred to the Chumash as the physical and spiritual center of the world.
The proposal would allow logging across 1,600 acres in Los Padres National Forest atop Mt. Pinos. Despite the enormous scope of the project, the Forest Service will not conduct a detailed study of potential impacts to the area’s unique ecosystems. Instead, officials announced that they will rely on a controversial loophole to bypass these requirements and limit the public’s ability to voice concerns.
Read more about the project here.
The project area is cradled by the Chumash Wilderness atop the highest peak in Ventura County, making it a popular winter recreation hotspot for families across the region--especially those who cannot access more remote and costly snow parks. Mt. Pinos is a Condor Observation Point and a Botanical Reserve with some of the most diverse and unique habitats in the Los Padres National Forest. The peak is home to dozens of rare or sensitive plants as well as animals such as black bears, mountain lions, and bobcats.
The project will require the use of mechanical equipment and may involve the construction of temporary roads, all of which can cause significant damage to soil, water, and plants⏤impacts that could last for centuries. It is likely that the Forest Service will allow private logging companies to profit from the timber harvest in exchange for services, which all but ensures that forest resiliency will not remain the primary project goal.
The Forest Service has proposed the project under the guise of wildfire resilience, but recent scientific studies show that mature forests like those on Mt. Pinos are already resilient to wildfire and tend to burn at lower intensity than heavily managed forests. Additionally, removing young, healthy trees that have grown up in times of drought can decrease a forest's resilience to climate change over the long term.
Read more about the project here.
Expedited logging projects are part of an alarming trend in the Los Padres National Forest and across the West that began under the previous administration. Two such projects are currently under review by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and a third project—on Pine Mountain—has been significantly delayed after pushback from local Indigenous groups and over 15,000 scientists, elected officials, business owners, and members of the public. All three projects were proposed under loopholes that similarly allowed the agency to avoid conducting the level of environmental review that is normal for such projects.
Because the Forest Service is proposing to use a loophole to fast-track the project, the agency must consider all comments submitted before the decision is issued. This includes comments submitted after the 30-day public comment period ended on May 7, 2021.