CONFIDENTIAL DRAFT
for Circulation, Review, & Discussion by Friends of Plumas Wilderness

Note: The following 7 points of tentative agreement are provided here, with some early comments, for discussions and clarifications within the FPW. These 7 points emerged from the "Library Group" meeting of May 25, 1993, at Collins Pine in Chester. Late yesterday (June 3) we received the draft introductory statements from Tom Nelson, which are also attached here.

TENTATIVE AGREEMENT

1. Plumas National Forest land base will be managed as set forth in the FPW Alternative to the Plumas Forest Plan. California spotted owl Protected Activity Centers (PACs) are deferred from logging for the life of the Plan.

Advantage to environmentalists: We win! Plan appeal granted. 208,000 acres off the timber base. All available roadless areas, including the defacto roadless areas as well as released RARE II areas, are off the timber base.

Advantage to timber industry: 75% of Plumas National Forest acres on timber base. Highest of any forest on the West Coast. Implementability: USFS grants Plumas Forest Plan appeal, reverses choice of adopted alternative. EIS process begins on new scientific information in areas of forestry, watershed, and species diversity.

2. All timber prescriptions will be uneven-aged management. The Desired Future Condition is an all-age, multi-story, fire-resistant, closed canopy forest approximating pre-white man conditions. By this we mean conditions approximated by Collins Pine's private timber management. Includes some form of area control.

Advantage to environmentalists: Balances important recent scientific information with achievable community stability and prosperous local economy.

Advantage to timber industry: Balances important recent scientific information with achievable community stability and prosperous local economy.

3. Riparian systems protection: Gang of Four recommendations: 300 feet either side of perennial streams (horizontal distance, not slope distance). Intermittents and ephemerals to be dealt with in standards and guidelines.

Advantage to environmentalists: Provides adequate stream protection and substantial wildlife corridors in the most critical habitats. Protects fisheries. Protects water temperatures and water quality.

Advantage to timber industry: Gets out in front of the curve on riparian ecosystem management and water quality nightmare. Makes any further lockouts much tougher because most controversial land is handled gently. Also protects fisheries, protects water temperature and water quality, which many people in the timber industry value as highly as environmentalists.

4. Working Circle - Already exists in statute and regulation. Easily implementable in theory, if not in fact. Provides protection for the rest of the plan. Responds to community stability and timber-dependent community arguments. Encourages diversification within timber industry locally.

Advantage to environmentalists: Makes it clear that environmentalists care about people. Also makes it clear that a healthy economy within a healthy environment is not just a lot of hot air. Another advantage to the environmentalists is that local contractors would be doing the job which would result in better quality logging. Another advantage would be that it would lessen community polarization and distrust.

Advantage to timber industry: Makes it clear that industry cares about people. Makes it clear that community stability and timber-dependent community arguments are not simply rhetoric. Another advantage to the timber industry is that local contractors would be doing the job which would result in better quality logging. Another advantage would be that it would lessen community polarization and distrust.

5. CASPO program #1. The CASPO Report makes compelling points in regard to fire management. Program #1 is designed to integrate the present fire management programs of the Forest Service with harvest of small material to sustain local SBA loggers.

Advantage to environmentalists: Such a program allows small scale logging to proceed thereby promoting entrepreneurship and small business opportunities in a capital intensive market. Such a program allows much of the flammable material to be removed, thereby lessening the danger of stand destroying fires. It must be clear that such removal of fire ladders will be followed by prescribed fires.

Advantage to loggers: They get the material free or at prices adjusted to compensate for large acre-low volume logging. This program requires no deviation from present laws and regulations.

6. CASPO Program #2. Inventory dead and down material and replenish as needed -- [write up ideas on how to do it]

Advantage to environmentalists: This is the fastest way to get needed understory components back into the environment.

Advantage to loggers: Keeps the environmentalists off their backs and gets out in front of the ecosystem management curve.

7. Old Growth. Friends of Plumas Wilderness believes that if the six things above are done, that the rest of the land can remain on the timber base and be logged on a 200-year rotation on sites 3,4,5,6 and 7. Friends of Plumas Wilderness believes that a shorter logging rotation is appropriate for sites I and 2 land. Friends of Plumas Wilderness believes that our opinion is simply an educated opinion and may not be appropriate in the eyes of others. All other opinions have a reasonable possibility of being right. We recommend this method of managing the forest for five years while the regional EIS on California spotted owl management guidelines is being prepared, decided, appealed and litigated. We would further propose that the working circle sunset five years from the installation of this plan.


Some comments already made:

This is being sent to:

Mike & Sally Yost
Mike & Shirley Kossow
Mike & Ruth Jackson
John Preschutti
Elissa Adler
Bob Beckwith
Jeff Ellermeyer
Bob Baiocchi
Harry Reeves & Linda Blum
Neil Dion
Joyce Scroggs

I apologize in advance for any oversights or failing to include any one who should receive this mailing -- please share this discussion document as needed with other Friends of Plumas Wilderness. Thank you!