Headwaters Forest

 
 

  The Last Unprotected Ancient Redwoods

Headwaters Forest contains the world's last large remnants of unprotected ancient redwood
forest. Two centuries ago, the climax redwood forest blanketed the Pacific Coast from
southern Oregon to Big Sur, California. A century and a half of liquidation logging has
destroyed more than 96 percent of that forest. Except for the Headwaters Forest, the
remaining groves of ancient redwoods are protected in state and national parks - but these
postage-stamp preserves alone aren't enough to protect the fragmented redwood
ecosystem. Headwaters Forest forms a critical ecological link between redwood parks to
the north and south, and provides refuge for plants and animals dependent on the ancient
redwood ecosystem.
 
 Here is a video of Luna and Butterfly.   A new ecosystem in the forest.    It is the story of the longest tree-sit in U.S. history.  The Strattford Giant redwood tree, also called "Luna", was discovered by EarthFirst! during the Fall '97 Headwaters campaign.  The Tree was blue-marked for cutting.  In order to save it from the chainsaw, a nonstop tree occupation began.  One extraordinary woman named Julia "Butterfly" has remained in the tree all winter!  Here's the inside view of one of the most awe inspiring acts of civil disobedience ever.

The video runs 20 minutes and is best viewed with a 28KB modem.  A Real g2 player is required.

 

Luna - the Stafford Giant tree-sit

view the video

 
 

Some Headwaters facts

 
Pacific Lumber/Maxxam, the current owner of Headwaters, is anxious to log the forest to pay off its corporate debt.

The crown jewels of Headwaters Forest are six groves of ancient redwoods and Douglas fir: Headwaters (2,754 acres), Owl
Creek (387 acres), All Species (434 acres), Allen Creek (360 acres), Shaw Creek (317 acres), and Elkhead Springs (291
acres)* plus scattered smaller virgin and residual groves, totalling 11,417 acres. Between the large islands of forest lie
thousands of acres of recent clearcuts, and some maturing second-growth stands interspersed with residual forest, where
ancient trees and scattered fragments of old-growth forest remain after selective logging years ago. There are a few tiny
additional fragments of old-growth forest as well in the 60,000 acres targeted for public acquisition.                                           * The new figures for these acreages reflect the most current data available.

Immediately to the north of Headwaters are 9,600 acres held by Elk River Timber, a partnership of Sierra Pacific Industries
(SPI), California's largest private landowner. Though partially logged, the Elk River parcel provides a critical northern buffer to
the Headwaters Grove and habitat for threatened coho salmon. Part but not all of this important acreage is included in the
pending Headwaters agreements.
 
 Instead of a fragmented and incomplete preservation effort, concerned citizens seek federal acquisition of approximately 60,000 acres of Headwaters Forest, with wilderness preservation status for the six intact ancient redwood groves (totaling
 approximately 4,500 acres), protection of "habitat recovery zones" where restoration will be undertaken, and sensible, sustainable management of the cut-over lands and the groves and their protective buffer zones. The 60,000-acre area includes approximately 40,000 acres that the US Fish and Wildlife Service designated as critical habitat for the endangered marbled murrelet in May 1996, and an additional 15,000-acre area to the north for protection of coho salmon habitat in the Elk River watershed.

 
 By adding the Headwaters area to the public domain and protecting its ancient groves, we take another important step toward the recovery of the entire redwood forest ecosystem - with all its grandeur, mystery and biodiversity - while protecting the forests
and fisheries that are the long-term economic base of our regional community.

    This "Introduction to Headwaters Forest" was produced by the Trees Foundation.
To order a copy of the video, please send a check or money order to HAVC (suggested donation of $20).
 

HAVC

PO Box 2198

Redway, CA 95580

credit card purchase available at
www.kmvd.org/video
Headwaters Action Video Collective can be reached by phone at 707-459-5490 x582
or
havoc@humboldt.net
 

The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.

                                           - Abraham Lincoln