North Side of Hare Creek - Before Logging

June 21, 2000

Chris Calder, who is working on P.R. for the Campaign, Joan Emm, a professional photographer who is donating her services to the Campaign, and I toured a part of the Lower Hare Creek THP, sold by Jackson State to Mendocino Redwood. What we saw broke my heart.

The  harvest area is the most westernmost part of JDSF. It comes to within a mile and a half of the ocean, running on both sides of Hare Creek. On the south it crosses Simpson Lane and on the north it comes close to Highway 20.

We only had time to go on the north side, where we saw many groves and clusters of trees marked for heavy cutting. The area is beautiful, fully recovered forest. Some of it  hasn't been logged since the initial cutting of old growth, perhaps over a hundred years ago.

As we moved along the road, the sound of chainsaws grew louder. We came upon the trucks of the fallers. We started down a well-traveled path, obviously a favorite of local people, toward the sound of falling trees. I could barely believe my eyes or keep away the tears: I was traveling down a corridor of beautiful old trees almost all with the blue paint rings that mark them for death.

Once again, I was hit over the head with CDF's complete lack of concern for forest habitat and recreation values. It seems insane to me to destroy, at this time in history, such a rare and beautiful forest that is located within moments of one of the most heavily visited areas of California.

Vince Taylor

Addendum 2021

CDF is planning a similar massive timber harvest in Mitchell Creek,  close to another residential area.

A new campaign to protect OUR redwood forest has arisen. If you are as outraged as I by CDF's behavior, you can help stop the destruction by joining the New Campaign to Restore Jackson State Redwood Forest.