The future of Strawberry Rock

Standing on top of Strawberry Rock, the world seems like a much simpler place. A verdant ocean of trees stretches for miles around the base of the ancient greenstone sea stack, lapping at its sides and creating a sense of what it might have been like when the vast, global forest still covered the planet. Logging roads have carved breaks in the trees and the thin ribbon of U.S. Highway 101 running past Trinidad is barely visible in the distance, but it all seems so small and far away that it's easy to forget the thousands of people flowing along the highway every day like leaves carried on a river.

From up top, the second-growth redwoods below seem like decorations on a model train track. The third-growth stands are even smaller, some only 30 or 40 years old, reminders of the last time this area was logged. Back then, the area was owned by Louisiana Pacific Lumber Co.; now it belongs to Green Diamond Resource Co., hundreds of acres in every direction.

Somewhere in the canopy to the southwest, a few puffs of smoke rise from the site of a tree sit and are quickly carried away on the wind. Treesitters have been camped in "Unit E" of the area for more than a year, based out of platforms more than 100 feet in the air in trees they've named "Summer Silly," "Neptune" and "Excalibur." They're up there to protest timber harvest plan 1-10-137HUM, a proposal to log 114 acres around Strawberry Rock, 84 of them through "even-age management," the term currently used for clear-cuts. Their media spokesperson, "Scooby," says that practice is the main focus of the tree sit.

"We're not against logging -- I want to say that very clearly -- we're against this type of logging," Scooby said. "Green Diamond is not lacking in PR and what they say publicly is great, but the back country is getting wiped out. ... The benefits of selection logging versus clear-cutting explain themselves if you take a walk in the Arcata Community Forest. There's still a lot of canopy and plenty of old trees. A good step would be for Green Diamond to create a community forest or a conservation easement around Strawberry Rock along those lines. This is a great opportunity for them to move in the right direction."


Green Diamond's representatives assert that even-age management is preferable because it allows species like Douglas fir and redwood to grow back more quickly than they do after selection logging.

"Even-age management results in an estimated 30 percent increase in growth rate, since trees in an opening get more sunlight and grow faster," said Gary Rynearson, manager of forest policy and communications for Green Diamond. "Even-age management creates superior growing conditions for redwood and Douglas fir while maintaining biodiversity across the landscape."

The company also touts the benefits of the practice in reducing the number of times heavy equipment enters an area.

"Selection harvesting results in a continuous re-entry cycle, with harvests occurring every 10 years," said Rynearson. "With even-age management, we harvest once at about 28 to 35 years, then again at 50 to 60 years. This results in two entries to a given area, versus six entries with selection harvesting over the same time period. ... For even-age management, Green Diamond's ground-based logging practices rely on shovel logging. This equipment rides on the forest floor without the need to build skid trails and expose bare soil. The fewer skid trails you have, the less impact there is from erosion. Selective logging must employ ground-based skidding devices like tractors and skidders. This equipment essentially requires a network of skid trails across the landscape."

Opponents of even-age management, like Andrew Orahoske and Rob DiPerna of the Environmental Protection Information Center, argue that the costs of the practice outweigh the benefits, especially when it comes to the potential of forests to mitigate climate change by removing greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.

"When you go in and log in any forest system, you are releasing carbon," said Orahoske. "The scientific publications show that the more disturbance there is, the greater the loss of carbon from soils. We're talking here about sequestered carbon dioxide that trees bring down and store in their trunks and leaves and roots. The accumulation of biomass on the forest floor, as well as in the soil itself, is really where these significant losses occur due to logging, particularly clear-cut logging. It is such a shock to the landscape."

Orahoske points to a white paper by Beverly Law and Mark Harmon and published by Future Science Group ("Forest sector carbon management, measurement and verification, and discussion of policy related to climate change," 2011) that states: "A forest-stand that is disturbed and then allowed to regenerate produces a large CO2 source for 5-50 years (depending on growth rates and amount of woody debris left after disturbance) followed by a long-term CO2 sink. ...

"After clear-cut harvest, the stand is a net emitter of CO2 because the forest regrowth is far outweighed by heterotrophic respiration from the soil and woody debris left on the site after harvest; for example, a semi-arid ponderosa pine forest-stand after harvest remains a source to the atmosphere for approximately 15-20 years, after which it slowly transitions to a net sink."

EPIC argues that by harvesting trees every 30 years or so, the stands are never allowed to transition from carbon sources back into carbon sinks.

"I think the community over the last 150 years may have a little amnesia about what our forests really should look like," said Orahoske. "You can go and visit some of the pristine old-growth in the national parks and you get a sense of how grand these forests are and the potential they have. Then you go to a variety of landscapes that have been impacted over time by logging ... and it is not on any trajectory to get back to a restored forest."


While it seems unlikely that either side of the debate will change their position any time soon, there has been progress in recent months on the question of what will happen to the forests around Strawberry Rock.

Originally filed in 2011, the timber harvest plan for the area was set to expire in March 2014 -- lending a sense of urgency to the discussions since Green Diamond would stand to lose money by letting it lapse -- but updates in the 2012 forest policy reform bill (AB 1492) have extended the plan's sunset date into 2017, giving the company and the community time to figure out whether a deal can be struck to preserve the area.

"We want to talk about doing something feasible, not something grandiose that can't be funded," said Neal Ewald, Green Diamond's vice president and general manager of California forest operations. "Of course nothing is certain and everything takes time, but there is potential for a conservation easement to preserve an area around the rock, the access trail to it and the stand of older trees nearby. We're still in the conceptual phase now, but we are eager to work with the community and we want to find something that can be successful. We're trying to create a solution that will have the highest value for everyone involved."

Ewald said that he couldn't comment on specific dollar amounts or details, but that the company is in talks with several organizations including the Trust for Public Lands, Trinidad Land Trust and the Coastal Conservancy.

As they negotiate terms and work toward a deal, grassroots efforts are also under way to drum up support for the project and raise awareness of the importance of the issue on a larger scale.

Formed in December 2012, a group called Friends of Trinidad Forests has held several public meetings at Trinidad Town Hall to inform the community about the harvest plan, and the group is working with EPIC to create presentations about the issue for local stakeholders. They advocate for the complete cancellation of the harvest plan and hope to turn the whole area -- a total of 640 acres, about one square mile -- into a community forest.

Jack Nounnan, an organizer for the group, spoke at a recent meeting about the global problem of deforestation and environmental degradation.

"The people working for Green Diamond are good men, family men, with ties to the local community. We're not demonizing them personally, but they work for a world order that seeks to conquer and divide our communities. This is a worldwide problem," said Nounnan.

"We're taking on a monster, and we have to be precise about the fact that this company stands for hell in our lives. I'm talking about how they're desecrating the area and turning these forests into dwarf forests. I'm trying to save something for my children and my grandchildren, but the natural systems have already been so compromised that I often wonder if what I'm doing even matters."

Several other people at the meeting touched on the idea that the issues confronting Humboldt County are just a microcosm of worldwide problems caused by an out-of-control economic system that puts profit for a few ahead of the well-being of multitudes of people, plants and animals.

A man who identified himself as "Jim" said, "The problem is our economic system itself. The profit motive is destroying the planet."

It's a hard charge to dispute. Trees are arguably the most productive and beneficial citizens on the planet (second only, perhaps, to earthworms). They improve the environment by creating microclimates that retain moisture in the air and soil, provide habitat for millions of creatures large and small, sequester carbon, generate oxygen, prevent erosion, create windbreaks to dampen storms and offer countless other benefits, both immediate and long-term. As living beings, they benefit everything and everyone around them. As dead timber, they benefit only the companies and individuals that own them.

Privatizing profits from the exploitation of natural resources -- as in forestry, mining, drilling and other extraction industries -- is economically beneficial to the companies involved, but the losses are socialized, meaning the practice leaves taxpayers on the hook for millions of dollars in restoration and remediation projects, not to mention environmental impacts that last for generations. It's a system that many people see as unsustainable, and if it goes on much longer, they say, there may not be much left to save.

"In our region, we really have an opportunity to invest in the future, and that is in the restoration of these forests. Continuing to treat them simply as a plantation to produce fiber is sapping that potential," said Orahoske. "In our view it is inevitable that these forests will be restored. The question is: How long will this privately held company from Seattle stand in the way of the restoration of the redwood forest ecosystem?"


One area of common ground for Green Diamond and the community is the issue of "tagging" on Strawberry Rock. In recent months several pieces of graffiti have appeared, and both sides see that as a problem.

Larry Goldberg, a 30-year resident of Trinidad and founder of Transition Humboldt -- part of the Transition Network initiative to build sustainable communities for the post-fossil fuel era -- suggested a community effort to clean up the site.

"We all hate to see graffiti on the rock. ... To help build trust, I propose we get a group together and go clean it off. Let's begin the healing process and get a dialog started. If we do that, the Yurok may be willing to come and rededicate the rock to a spiritual purpose for all of us," he said.

Goldberg worked as economic development director for the Yurok Tribe in 2004, and he met recently with tribal representatives, and separately with Ewald, to help facilitate communication.

"Green Diamond has a good name and a good reputation in the community. We're not here to trash them," said Goldberg. "We may disagree with them, but we have to be able to talk to them.

"As a community we have to say, 'We don't want to save just a sliver, we want to save the whole area.' We need to spread the word that this is a sacred place to us, even if it's not officially one for the Yurok. That land is important to us. It's part of our home and it has sacred, historical and ecological value. ... It's all connected, and saving a place like this is just as important as saving the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone."


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LIFE IN THE TREES: Treesitters "Eugene" and "Aurora" share their experiences living more than 100 feet up in a redwood tree.

-- "So how long have you been living in the trees?"

E: "I've been up here for about a year."

A: "I first heard about it six months ago through friends. This is my first time doing a tree sit."

-- "How are you dealing with the cold, wet North Coast weather?"

E: "The cold and the wet aren't that bad. We've got a surplus of sleeping bags and wool blankets, and we have tarps set up to shed the rain. We stay pretty warm."

-- "What sort of platform do you sleep on?"

A: "It's actually a net called a 'Dream Catcher.' It's kind of like a big hammock. There's some very skilled tarpology going on up here."

-- "Do you stay up there all day, or do you come down sometimes to enjoy the forest?"

E: "As long as there's one of us up here we can go check out the forest or go for a walk. We like to have at least one person up in the tree at all times."

-- "What do you do up there all day?"

E: "I listen to the radio a lot, read books, listen to the ocean, do a lot of thinking. I'm working on 'Island' by Aldous Huxley right now. For some reason I've also read an awful lot about fish while I've been up here."

-- "What does your usual diet consist of?"

E: "We have a Coleman stove and five gallons of propane, so we can cook pretty much anything we want to eat. Someone brought eggs the other day."

A: "We eat lots of quinoa and oatmeal, fresh fruits and vegetables, lots of avocado. Peanut butter is always awesome."

E: "I like to make sandwiches or stew. We send down a grocery list sometimes and people will make a run to the store as long as the list isn't outrageous. There's no caviar up here, for instance."

-- "How do you support yourselves? Is it all through donations from the community?"

A: "I actually have a job as a cook at a locally owned restaurant, so that helps out a lot."

-- "How do you feel about the prospect of coming down if an agreement is struck?"

E: "I'll definitely miss it. I hear there's a prospect of the THP being canceled, which is wonderful, but it means I'll have to go back to living on the ground. There are lots of tree sits going on, though, so I might just find another one and keep doing it."

-- "How long did it take to set up the platform and get the whole thing going?"

E: "Scooby set up the fundamentals of the dream catchers and platforms in a single night as soon as we heard about the THP."

-- "Can you describe how it feels to live up there and how you relate to the trees?"

E: "There's definitely a relationship there. The trees are giving us quite a bit in terms of shelter and security, so we're trying to do as much for the trees as we can. I worked for the Conservation Corps before this, so I've spent a lot of time in the woods. I do this because I think of these trees as wonderful resources that don't grow many places, so we should preserve as many as we can. I also take as many opportunities to live out in nature as I can."

A: "For me it's both spiritual and practical. The forests are being destroyed at alarming rates. I feel an immediate sense of that process and I want to maintain them for future generations and the good of all people. Spiritually, I think it's inherent in all people to some degree to live in forests and to commune with nature. Less and less of us have an opportunity to relate to nature, though, because we've destroyed so much of it."

-- "Are your families supportive of what you're doing?"

E: "I definitely have support from my folks and my family. My dad's a private forester and he actually worked for these guys in the last year. He has his own feelings about private property and forestry, but he still supports me and what I'm doing because he knows this is important to me."

-- "What do you say to people who argue that the land is Green Diamond's private property and they can do what they like with it?"

E: "Well, the forests are everyone's resources. This forest definitely has more impact on the local community than it does on Green Diamond. I've seen hundreds of people out hiking and enjoying these trails with their kids, dogs and families over the last year. I've seen two Green Diamond people with hard hats, one time. But more than that, I think cutting coastal redwoods is extremely irresponsible. They can act like the land is theirs to exploit for profit, but it really belongs to the community that lives here."

-- "What solutions would you propose to deal with the problems you see?"

E: "I think it's really an issue of resources. Instead of seeing a tree, people see resources they can utilize. As far as replacing those resources, we could probably rely less on timber if we grew industrial hemp or other annually renewable crops like that. I think that's a really good alternative to using these resources."

A: "Another alternative might be to consume less in general. Our consumerist lifestyle as Americans is excessive by anyone's standards. It's simply not sustainable, and it doesn't make sense. People need to change, and maybe our core values need to change. I would like to think that we'll undergo a voluntary change to a more sustainable way of life, but I'm not sure it'll happen. If we don't, I see gas shortages and our use of oil eventually coming to a halt. When that happens, production will slow and people will lose the lifestyles they're trying to grasp onto. For me, it's about lessening the impact of our lifestyles now, because the change is coming one way or another."

-- "What do you tell people who ask what they can do to help change things?"

E: "I'm having a hard enough time grappling with this myself. It's too hard for me to tell other people what to do or how to start, so this is one of the things I'm doing. I can sit in a tree and have an effect. I hope that it gets people to talk about and care about these trees.

A: "I think just being in nature really helps. Spending time alone outdoors is a way for people to get inspired. It helps us remember the connections we once had with the Earth as a friend, rather than as an enemy to conquer or a resource to exploit."


Clay McGlaughlin is the lifestyle writer for the Times-Standard. He can be reached at or 441-0516.