Accusations in Letter to the Editor by Rainbow Ridge Activist; Humboldt Redwood Company Responds
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Normally, we post only one letter to the editor. But in this case, we’re printing both the original letter, the response, and then the original letter writer’s rebuttal.
Protesters seeking to stop logging in the Rainbow Ridge area gathered in front of the Humboldt County Courthouse in June. [Photo by Mark McKenna]
Dear Editor,
There has been a 30 year struggle to preserve forested areas around Rainbow Ridge. Many of these groves have never before been logged. Humboldt Redwood Company has a FSC certification of meeting the standards of being a sustainable logging company. Both the Lost Coast League and the Mattole Forest Defenders have been watching closely to what has been happening in the Rainbow Ridge area.
HRC has violated the certification standards by going into virgin forests and poisoning hardwood trees and killing them with intentions of logging the Douglas Firs and replanting in a tree farm fashion. This destroys the ecosystem of the forest that has taken centuries to be established. This area contains the last of the unprotected old growth Doug Fir forests in our county.
Why has the California Department of Fish and Wildlife approved the shrinking of the protective buffer zone of Northern Spotted Owls? Is it more important for HRC to strip the resources of our planet than to save some of the last untouched areas of Humboldt County? I am disgusted that CDFW has approved the shrinking of the buffer zone.
There was a rally at the gate of Monument on Saturday July 13 and Forest Defenders were there to give us the latest news. HRC has hired LEAR Asset Management Corp., a paramilitary, private firm to guard and protect their assets…the forest. Actually to protect the forest from forest protectors so that they can continue to cut these ancient trees at an alarming rate. Now LEAR has set up trip wires connected to 12 gauge shot guns around a tree occupied by a tree sitter so that supplies can not be brought to the forest defender. This is absurd! This needs to stop now! The certification standards that HRC is claiming to abide by must be assessed before any more destruction continues. Armed militant men are guarding these areas while massive machinery carves their way through ancient groves. This must stop now.
David Grant
Petrolia, CA
Response From Humboldt Redwood Company:
Safety of employees, contractors and trespassing individuals is our first priority. We are aware of trespassers on our property. We have a fully licensed and bonded professional security group looking out for everyone’s safety in the area of operations. Because someone is moving about illegally and without warning it can create unpredictable circumstance. Entering our property illegally and during active logging operations it is tremendously unsafe.
Also, we are aware of a false claim by some people of planned logging within a Northern Spotted Owl (NSO) Habitat in September. We are unsure where or why this claim is being promoted. Across our property we apply high standards of care looking out for wildlife in compliance with state and federal regulation, company policies and practices, and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards. In the area in question we have abided by all those standards and as to timing the project will be fully wrapped up soon. Cal Fire recently conducted a field inspection to ensure this compliance and reported “The inspection verified that the no harvest area was properly located on the map, designated with flagging, and that trees had not been harvested inside of the NSO core zone no-harvest area.”. For more information on NSO on our property and how we look out for their habitat, please see:
Returning to the trespassers, we have encouraged trespassers to come down with the offer of safe passage off the property. It is safest to come down, if they make a choice to stay in a tree, then it is safer to stay in one place rather than to move around unexpectedly and without warning. Hopefully, they will come down and take the offer of safe escort off the property. The use of trip wires and firearms is inconsistent with the purpose of the security group (to ensure safety for all) and are not being used.
Recently, the Sherriff’s office assessed another trespasser in a tree and felt her safe removal from the tree was unnecessary at that time. We will ask the Sherriff to do another assessment of the health and safety of trespassers when convenient. The Sherriff’s office has a lot of demands on resources, so we appreciate the consistency and prompt response of the Sherriff’s office to our property.
It appears the two (2) trespassers have an interest in our forest management. We are happy to share our activities on all our timberland; we submit to annual FSC audits and review of our activities in addition to the seven (7) state and federal agencies responsible for overseeing Timber Harvest Plan (THP) Activities. Many people are aware a California THP is recognized as a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliant Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). CEQA is the most rigorous review and permitting required by California for any project. The process of earning a THP is extensive, thorough and subject to judicial challenge. We go beyond those high hurdles presented by local, state and federal governments in seeking third-party FSC audits.
Specific to the THP in the Mattole area, we went a hurdle beyond. Beginning in 2012, we sought additional input from stakeholders and FSC which led us to voluntarily modify the THP in 2016, in 2018 we voluntarily sought a third review with stakeholders and FSC.
We have toured more than fifty (50) people through the THP area. In 2019, we completed the reporting requested of the FSC auditor which led to start of operations. This reporting included specific areas voluntarily set aside for High Conservation Value Forest (HVCF) which we addressed to the satisfaction of the FSC auditor specifically for this THP. Old growth trees and old growth type trees are being protected down to the single tree – be they redwood, Douglas fir or any tree. We are currently performing an additional, voluntary review of the tens of thousands of acres we own in conjunction with the FSC auditor to evaluate, again, those areas beyond the current THP, for HVCF areas.
Specific to old growth we protect beyond the requirements of FSC down to the single tree and to trees that show “characteristics of old growth.” Our policy applies to redwood, Douglas fir and any tree on our property. This is true in the Mattole and across our entire ownership. In the case of the THP in the Mattole dozens of interested parties, including FSC auditors, have reviewed the harvest to assure we are in alignment with our policy of protecting old growth trees, among so many other commitments. The specifics of our Old Growth Policy can be found here: https://www.hrcllc.com/old-growth
We have had a longstanding policy to take anyone anywhere on the property, to the place of their choosing to see firsthand our forest management activities. Pick a place on the map, anywhere on our property, and we will go there together to look at it and talk about it. Over the twenty (20) years our family of companies has been in business we have done this with thousands of interested parties. We actively encourage and promote this sort of transparency. Beyond meeting people on the property, we are one a few, if any, timber companies publishing a breadth and depth of data alongside our commitment to policies and principles of our activities. It can all be found here: https://www.hrcllc.com/
We hope these policies and transparency can be a signal to other timberland owners to operate at a high environmental standard and be a successful business. We think it would be good for all forests and are trying to set a positive example in our part of the world.
Coming back to trespassing, it would be better to take us up on the offer to come see for oneself, either in the Mattole at completion of operations, or anywhere on the map of our ownership
Our first priority is for the safety of our employees, contractors and trespassers. These are busy and active operations – logging and sawmills – it is safer to contact us an come see for oneself than to come and go illegally and without warning. To that end, we appreciate the Sherriff’s office responding promptly and consistently.
And finally, David Grant’s rebuttal:
I had a field trip set up for July 17 with Ali Freedlund. It was cancelled because of the tree sitters. John replied saying there would be no more tours until after the logging was finished. His promise of being transparent is false. This field trip was been in the works since January of 2019. Now it’s cancelled with no promise for a rescheduled date.
I don’t believe HRC is watching out for the safety of the tree sitters. First was the cutting down of supplies above the tree sitter. These supplies included food and water and the water was in 3 gallon jugs that came crashing down through the branches barely missing the tree sitter. Second was the knocking over of trees with an excavator right next to a tree the sitter was in. There is video footage of limbs sweeping by as the tree toppled to the ground. Third is the tree sitters are being deprived of supplies.
I went to a rally, it was the first rally I had ever attended. I was shocked when a white pick up truck with a custom bed exited the Monument Gate and drove very fast through a crowd of about 50 people. It caught everyone off guard. When the truck returned all phones and cameras were pointed at the vehicle and the driver drove much slower.
My understanding is that HRC did not complete the required designation of High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF) lands in the Mattole, as directed by their sustainable forestry certifiers. Subsequently, the certifying body, SCS of Emeryville, CA, stated that HRC had requested SCS to declare there was no HCVF on those proposed logging plans and SCS had given the go-ahead. dave
Earlier Chapters:
- Two Protestors Arrested at Rainbow Ridge Logging Blockade
- Protesters Say They Are Locking to Gate to Stop Logging After Humboldt Redwoods Company Removed Tripod Sitter
- Man Protesting Logging Rainbow Ridge Describes Ordeal
- Demonstrators Picketed Humboldt Redwoods Company Yesterday in Hopes of Stopping Logging Planned for the Rainbow Ridge Area
- Truckers and Protesters Concerned About Plans to Log Rainbow Ridge Clashed Near Scotia Mill Yesterday
- Sheriff’s Office Warns Logging Protesters Near Rainbow Ridge This Morning
- Timber Fallers on Rainbow Ridge, Protesters Again at Monument Gate
- ‘Elders Defend Elders,’ Say Activists as Four Arrested This Morning Trying to Stop Logging on Rainbow Ridge
- To Protest Logging on Rainbow Ridge, 87-Year-Old Locked Down to Gate and Preventing Access to Humboldt Redwoods Mill in Scotia
- ‘Fight to Save Rainbow Ridge Continues: Rally at Monument Gate and a Second Tree Sitter in the Mattole,’ Says Earth First! Humboldt
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yawn. they say there is footage, that would be a lot more interesting and evidential. it sounds like teenagers bickering, he said she said, gets old fast
For the love of God and nature the children need a place to live this planet Earth is there salvation we must learn to treat her right our time is short here some ancient forests don’t not have a timeline this should not even be an issue Forest protectors stand strong The tyranny will only last a little while longer the shit is hitting the fan all over the world and people will soon understand how bad we have made it and will no longer be allowed to kill mother nature
The poisoning of the Oaks did tremendous damage to the habitat balance for many species and should be felt by those creating the pain it crying Shame to destroyed the children future to make a few more dollars
Dave Grant, you lost me at trip wires connected to 12 ga shotguns. If your rebuttal held any water, you would have addressed your blantant lie in the first letter.
We are shocked at you and your ilk’s arrogance and baldfaced lies.
Don’t go away mad. Just go away
All the evidence I need is that HRC owns the land. We already know what business they are in.
I also understand that there are families relying on having work available in the area. Hell the HRC might even have practices that are more acceptable.
But the facts as far as I’m concerned are; enough of the forest has already been modified, you are effectively going to deteriorate a habitat that is both untouched or recovering from being touched inappropriately for too long, and cutting down dwindling amounts of old or ancient growth trees is EFFING shameful.
My question to HRC would be, is there anything you see, when you look at nature, other than resources available for exploitation with the intention of profit?
There is no foreseen amount of bull you can spew that is going to convince people in that watershed that what you are doing is okay. Do what you gotta do and we will to.
If we make this whole thing REALLY inconvenient for HRC than possibly they will stop. If we do nothing, untouched forest habitat will die. Period. Sugar coat that however you want, or say the same old isht about forest defenders, please.
“All the evidence I need is that HRC owns the land.”
Ok, i own my land. Im going to grow a hundred plants and not cut a single tree doing it. Whereaz yer boys from the fischer family are cutting the heart out of our collective bioregion. Killing fish and genetic diversity in ways my illegal water storage for summer use will not.
Fuck Scott Bauer and his red circle map and his intentional campaign to mislead the state’s government into thinking the most egregious grows were the most common and therefor to intentionally fuck up our community and fuck his predecessor Scott Downey who gave the maxxam and green diamond carte blanche. Oh and lets not forget Scott Greacen who has backed this up he while turned his back on the residents of the eel river watershed he claims to care about .
Good riddance to Tidwell.
At this time if you don’t stand with any of the remaining ancient Forest you are on the wrong
Side of History be a tree fell the rainbow worth way more than money can buy
So tired of the protesters bullshit and flat out lies, lock them up and put them on the swap work crew and let them do something good for the first time In their lives. Enough already.
The more these protesters write, the more I believe they’re the ones in the wrong. Seriously, they expect us to believe the security folks are setting up spring guns? No problems getting mind-altering substances past security, apparently…
HRC is nothing but lying, earth destroying greedy scumbags who can only make money by destroying the planet because they have no real skills to create something useful. They are continuing the destruction of Humboldt Counties Old Growth Redwood Forestswhere Charles Hurwitz left off by liquidating their forests while they pay money to private “stewardship councils” who are nothing more than a front for the timber companies. They are hiring a vigilante conservative violent aggressive and racist paramilitary gang of very scary and violent killers many of whom have returned from the war in the middle east, these are the same LEAR ASSETT MANAGEMENT men who were flying onto private property in Mendocino County and committing armed robberies by helicopter of medical cannabis users gardens. Inside scoop is Paul Trouette who owns LEAR ASSETT MANAGEMENT is also in the Cannabis Industry and that he and his goon squad steals the marijuana in their helicopter and rhen processes the bud and sells it on the black market, the inside informant told me first hand that this is how Paul Trouette got all his money to buy the equipment for his goon squad: by selling stolen bud! Read the following from San Francisco Gate, it tells the story of Paul Trouette and his violent military buddies and exsoldiers using unmarked helicopters to steal honest medical cannabis patients gardens. Shame on Humboldt Redwopd Company for hiring violent thieves and liars to harass, intimidate and if necessary shoot and assasinate activists who are trying to defend our forests from greedy outside owned corporation based in San Francisco and owned by wealthy 1%’s. Long live our community activism, together we will watch HRC fail
Can you post evidence of the actions you are accusing the security company and timber company of? It appears the name calling and stories of rape and pillage are emotionally based feelings rather than factual incidents, lacking evidence.
You contradict your own claims, when you say your tour was cancealed “until after the logging has been completed” and with” no promise of a rescheduled date”. Sounds like it can be rescheduled when the logging is completed. We complain about our government trying to control what we do on our own property, isn’t that what is being done here?
I do not support HRC or some logging practices, but when they attempt to follow the guidelines set up by groups that keep changing the rules, they show more credibility than wild accusations with little to no proof or evidence.
https://time.com/3393387/california-marijuana-pot-security/
Its a pretty weird tale. Time takes the side of the people with money and suits that they can relate to, but who five years ago, long before legalized pot existed, was hiring lear in Laytonville?
vigilante conservative violent aggressive and racist
do you see what you did right there? you just alienated over half of your audience. and the half with a brain for that matter. what does conservative have to do with anything? there are violent people and if you have evidence you might be able to have them locked up and racist, come on. when people just say racist all the time you cheapen the word. calling people racist and nazi with no evidence is going to backfire in your face
That’s the only defense and language neo-Liberals know. If you disagree with them they throw decaf Starbucks at you, throw a screaming tantrum and call you a nazi racist . You can’t blam them really, they don’t believe in violence, can’t operate a firearm and no nothing but fear and incompetence. If Bernie sanders win I won’t be protesting in the streets, I won’t be pulling my kids out of school and cry. I won’t burn flags and call the elected president “not mine”.I won’t throw rocks through the Democratic party’s office building. I will except temporary defeat, lace up my boots, and prepare for the worst. That’s the difference between REAL Americans and weak minded lazy socialists. When you vote for socialism, you are actually voting to end your freedom of protest. Once the second amendment is abolished, the first will soon follow. But hey….at least you will get free government cheese! Ironically, it’s still American Cheese! Eat up sucker.
There are plenty of people that you would LABEL a neo-liberal or socialist that have no problem with violence, or owning and operating a firearm. Two tiny problems I have are:
1) When violence, firearms and the second amendment are basically the only words that came out of your speech.
2) And when everyone who doesn’t think like you is a neo-liberal.
Based on your logic. What is this exactly other than lacing up metaphorical boots?
Prove it. I don’t like or do hearsay.
On another note, there were accusations of tripwires attached to shotguns and reduction of spotted owl habitat buffers. I haven’t seen where this has been photographed or confirmed whatsoever. So which is it? Is this true or wild accusations without merit?
I’d love to be sympathetic to your cause but veracity and proven evidence-based truths have to be in place to believe you, especially if you make such claims. Otherwise, it’s rings hollow and rotten for support
Wheres the picture source of the men and helicopter?
I’d like to know more about it.
You are not hidden anonymous thinker.Your IP has already been discovered.Your location and GPS coordinate has been tracked.. so smart huh!! were watching..
Heck I can’t even discover everyone’s IP.
I hate clear-cutting with a passion. That said, I haven’t read the THP, nor have I seen any pictures (you’d think, for all the running around on a timber harvest site, there’d be thousands of pictures), so I don’t know if that’s what they’re doing up there.
That said, for anyone to perch themselves in a tree on an active logging site, and to place themselves in a road leading to said site, then expect everyone to tread softly around them, is ludicrous. They call themselves, “forest defenders,” and talk about their commitment to the cause, then want everything to be peaceful and kind, with the opposing side deferring to them at every turn.
If they’ve known about this, “last unprotected stand of old-growth fir,” for as long as they say they have, why haven’t they been working to protect it before now? It’s been years now since the whole Maxxam debacle, when logging practices were scrutinized and regulations were changed. Where have these, “forest defenders,” been until now?
🕯🌳Good morning Robin thank you for the information and the links.
Earth First! is a fraud and has been for some years. The SJW crowd took over from the brave buckaroos and it has never been the same. Just mewling brats, spoiled white kids for the most part, looking for a cause.
The “local” EF is not local at all but an outside agitator from New England and a few from L.A. and Arizona. They need to go back to their own biomes.
Sure there are forest rapists and the White man has been destroying nature in these parts for a hundred fifty years, but local pot farmers would rather be making a profit (and poisoning the wilderness with chemicals) instead of defending mother nature.
Trip wires? 12 gauge shotguns? C’mon, you protesters are losing what little credibility you have with these ridiculous claims.
HRC owns the land and the timber. There’s so much governmental oversight that they have no choice but to use the land and harvest the timber in a responsible manner.
The protesters are way off base on this one.
The perimeter alarms that use triplines to fire blanks have been in use out there. The interpretation of it being a shotgun is inaccurate but understandable.
Follow this link to see what folks are talking about.
https://www.alloutdoor.com/2017/09/18/watch-firing-fith-ops-shotgun-perimeter-alarms/
Thanks.
Lol that doesn’t mean that’s happening out there just hear say. Smh
“They must find it difficult, those who have taken authority as truth, rather than truth as authority.”
― Gerald Massey.
~i believe those who live here and love here, any day of the year, over some rat bastard corporate Banana Republic Gap goon$, that merely transferred digits on a screen and got equity title to come into the Triangle and perform commercial rape of the mighty Redwoods & Douglas Fir. Godless MFers!!! Literally.
Seriously, take a ride on 36 from 101. You can’t miss the massacre to your right, before you go up the hill to Hydesville. Satan’s cock suckers {oh edit away, Kym} will have that huge-ass area stacked and filled inside of 8 weeks -this is year #5. And, it’s ONLY ONE FOREST CEMETERY.
Whether the forests are to be clear-cut, with no corporateville remorse whatsoever, in fact and in truth, isn’t an option on a dying planet of controlling 1% Doh $Dough$.
What’s that deck you’re sitting on our there in Alton made of?
Alton? Deck?
The Sad Truth To Why Most People May Not Wake Up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElrXrE8AmIc 10 mins.
I just took that ride last weekend and didn’t see nothing wrong at all. Born and raised here those so called old growth trees are not even big. Get over it have you ever seen the pictures of when fieldbrook was logged? Those were actually old growth trees go out there and look at the stumps. Fielbrook looks just fine now. Lol get over it jokers.🤦🏽♂️
~forty-something, huh?
Kudos to those who are trying to save Mother Earth. Maybe you should do it silently though….calling those who disagree with your practices nazis and racists makes you look arrogantly uneducated.
It’s 2019, and the logging companies are still chopping away, skimming along the maximum regulations as though they’re doing us some kind of favor. Modern day insanity, in real time, right before our very eyes. That forest will never be the same. Power to the protesters!
Yep.
~at this late date, Only the insane in the membrane are screaming, begging and cheering for more, more, more, faster, faster, harder, harder, deeper, deeper. Not the brightest bulbs in the box.
🕯🌳Damn I have to agree with most of the posts. 👍🏽
All of you whiners keep whining, before you know it they will be done…where are the tears for all the fish that have been killed by pot growers depleting creeks of the cold water that keeps smolts (to you with lesser brain cell counts) baby steelhead,coho,and chinooks alive in their nursery. That is the true outrage but not a fucking word about that,but it’s the end of the world as you know it for the loss of some non old growth fir…pathetic you should be ashamed.
stupid facist commie weed heads sniviling about trees being cut…steve is right you are all hypocrit liberals who need a brain transplant…go clean up your own dirty ass properties and hold the organized crime in your nieghborhoods accountable for their dirty ass messes before you mess with law abiding companies.
Idiots. These “tree sitters” are trespassing. So tired of the whiny bullshit. You “enviromentalists” use toilet paper to wipe your ass right? Live in a house built of wood right? Use paper, recycled or not it started out as a tree! Pencils too. Facts: there is no last and only redwood tree. Look around morons! All forests need to be managed. If you freaking do gooders would stop with your injunctions to stop forest management, etc, etc. Forest fires wouldn’t get so out of control. Removal of trees in burned out sections, allows for new trees that are planted to thrive and grow. Salvage logging is needed. Thinning of forests is needed. Lots of these ancient redwood trees are already dead or dying and are a hazard. 1 good windstorm and over they go possibly killing someone. Pull your heads out and go get a real job! One that actually will help improve our economy and stop smoking so much pot. The real damage to our eco systems is coming from all the chemicals and fertilizers people use in their pot growing. Diesel spills, human waste, water diversion, the list goes on. But hey, let’s sit in a tree, crap in a bucket, get stoned and hinder someone from doing their job all while you are trespassing and ignoring the even bigger problems.
I would bet the trip wires are like the ones for bears- just an indication tool. It should have said blanks. Booby traps is what comes to mind and that’s a different thing all together. Leer definitely uses tools like this and other techniques that a warden might use to find poachers.
That being said, A militant security guarding a virgin forest chop down is an ugly, ugly reality of corporate short term profit. It just looks bad. Well it is bad. HRC should consider selling that chunk of woods to a land trust and allow that magic spot to stay magic. That wood at least get them a profit for shareholders. Ive been out there years ago and its incredible. My biggest complaint with HRC is their forester that makes the decisions on the ground on Rainbow. ‘Dewey’ or something like that. He has zero respect for nature and frumbles around kicking and cursing trees while marking the forest with blue paint and spite. Thanks Humboldt State for pumping that turd through its colon. Its a special and important job and I’m surprised he’s aloud to drive, much less make decisions in such a contentious zone. I would bet the restoration and enviros would be a little less frustrated if the harvest plans were written by a professional that doesn’t embarrass the logging community. Aren’t Douglas-fir prices kinda low right now? I havent checked in a while.
i think it is to bad how the growing hemp for other uses than for human consuption is ridiculed. It dosent take forever to grow back,like trees.very renuable.And it has nothing but lots good uses.Please dont blame the hippies.They were right.
https://thecrimereport.org/2017/08/14/fighting-drug-cartels-in-californias-emerald-triangle/
Interesting that LEAR security firm was established to save the black-tailed deer, they’re the real environmentalists!
They should be advocates for opening back up mtnnlion hunting then if they truly want to save the ghosts of the pacific aka black tail deer.
As long as you have a 3S tag in hand, sling that lead at them kitty’s.
And if it happens to have a collar, just cut off while wearing gloves and deposit at your nearest “legal” douchebag neighborhood grow and wait to see the cavalry show up. Makes for a good time.
I wish some of these environmental activists would stop turning a blind eye to the destruction of the Mattole watershed by industrialized cannabis farms, like Xotic Flavorz – they may not be clear cutting, but their noise, their fertilizer, their massive trucks and constant traffic, their theft of water from Mattole tributaries are causing untold damage, yet somehow, because they are growing weed, many of the environmentalists out here give them a free pass. What’s up with that?