March 31, 2025
Jackson State Forest
March 2025 Update
What’s happening in Jackson State Forest? BACH is part of the Coalition to Save Jackson Forest, and we haven’t sent an update in a while. so want to bring you up to current.
Some of you know that Priscilla Hunter, Pomo tribal leader, friend, visionary leader for the Jackson Forest campaign and so many other campaigns and organizations, initiator and leader of the Intertribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council, joined the ancestors in November of 2024. Her intuitive sense of politics, deep wisdom and commitment, and sense of humor are sorely missed in our forest campaign, and in the lives of those who respected and loved her. Her visions and words continue to guide our campaign.
The Campaign to Save Jackson Forest does continue to move forward in positive directions. Thanks to the continued pressure of protests, public input and growing state-wide support, there has been no new commercial tree cutting in Jackson Demonstration State Forest (JDSF) since 2022, when a “pause” was put in place by the California Natural Resources Department. This informal de facto moratorium is still in effect, but CalFire intends to resume filing timber harvest plans in 2025. State Rep. Jim Wood and Sen. Mike McGuire have stated in writing their support for no new timber harvest plans before a new co-management plan is in place.
With the trees still standing for now, the Coalition has used this breather to work towards our legal and legislative goals and have made significant progress. We’ve improved our legal strategy to oppose THPs and moved closer to changing the JDSF mandate for JDSF that currently prioritizes commercial timber production.
An exciting policy update important to our work is the passing of Assembly Bill (AB) 1284. With the advocacy of California State Asm. James Ramos, Gov. Newsom’s policy declarations on Tribal co-management plans of state lands and land returned to Indigenous descendants have now been codified into law as AB 1284. AB 1284 encourages the state to consult with Tribes on co-management and co-governance agreements and land returns.
The Coalition also continues to advocate for implementation of AB 52 Tribal Government-to-Government consultation on all forest management activities within JDSF. Under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), AB 52 affords protections for cultural resources including sacred and cultural heritage landscapes, and offers far more extensive mitigation measures than previously afforded, including conservation easements and land back, where there is a significant impact to these tribal cultural resources.
Last year, CalFire began early preparatory work on draft of a new Forest Management Plan (FMP) for JDSF. As the Coalition has advocated for updated management strategies for JDSF, we welcome an early review of the FMP. However, CalFire has not applied CEQA, including AB 52, to the development of a draft FMP for Jackson Forest. Instead, CalFire is receiving public input and drafting the FMP through an informal, unregulated process which does not require public comments with responses from Cal Fire and does not require climate change or GHG analysis that was missing from the old FMP. Cal Fire has also not put in place infrastructure for Tribal co-management for Jackson Forest before finalizing a new FMP.
With contractors hired by CalFire to write a draft FMP, the agency held a series of tightly controlled public meetings late last year. The meetings were dominated by CalFire personnel, misrepresenting and distorting the public’s statements, not allowing time for public testimony, intimidating speakers and even threatening to remove anyone speaking up! Coalition members who attended objected to these tactics, calling the meetings invalid as public comment.
Please stay tuned, as there will be more coming up, whether on the legal, legislative, rallies or direct action front, as the situation calls for. We also always invite people to get involved, come to meetings, help with outreach, or join us however you are able!