Fisher frontman Sandy Dean refuses to stop cutting near the slide areas, despite warnings from a registered geologist. The timber companies have reaped enormous profits at the expense of our natural trust resources. They have ignored the Forest Practice Act mandate to log sustainably to produce continuous, high quality yield. They have reduced the ancient forest in Mendocino, which once occupied a million acres, to a few thousand at best.
Serious reform is long overdue to save the little that s left.
AB 717 is a good first step toward creating some balance between commercial and environmental goals in our forests. AB 748 saves the State money by making timber companies pay for their permits like everyone else. Your name and address 3. Extending permit and monitoring programs to include some of California s worst water polluters, such as agri-business and the timber industry, can only improve the quality of life for all Californians. Further, exempting some industries from controls, while thousands of other businesses and government agencies are obliged to do their share, is simply not fair.