Old-growth redwoods are currently being logged outside of Redway, California. We need your help.

Old-growth redwoods grow tall and big outside of Redway. The community here has been built in and amongst these towering trees deliberately and the standing trees are a source of pride for neighbors. But a new property owner is now doing something not-so-neighborly: he is cutting down the old-growth redwoods on his property, saying that these trees pose a threat to structures. (Whether the trees in question actually pose an immediate hazard is debatable, according to neighbors.) For more, check out the reporting on the Redheaded Blackbelt.

For some, it might be a surprise to learn that logging old-growth redwood trees is not prohibited in California. That said, while not prohibited, it is normally difficult. In a timber harvest plan, special attention is given to old-growth trees, and a plan that proposes to log such trees would generate more scrutiny from regulatory agencies and the public. But here, the logging is being done using a “notice of exemption”—an end-around the normal rules that govern logging that are limited in application—so there is no consideration of the habitat value of these trees or the special appreciation that the community has for them. Thankfully, Humboldt County has passed an ordinance that prevents landowners from cutting down hazard trees that are larger than 12 inches diameter breast height without a permit from the County. While CAL FIRE has signed off on this logging, the landowner has not received permission from Humboldt County to remove any trees. We need the county to enforce its rule. Click here to send an email to Planning Director John Ford to demand that the county enforce its own rules.

If this logging is allowed to occur, the old-growth of Redway is not safe. Nearly all of the trees in the community could be declared “hazards” and removed. Houses here are intermixed among the large trunks of trees—and by design! The County rightfully has rules to protect these trees, but those rules only matter if they are enforced. Click here to urge the County to enforce the law.