-- Campaign For Old Growth | Press Releases --

For Immediate Release
February 7, 2002

Contacts: Susan Moloney 213-484-4474
Kent Stromsmoe 925-228-3579

SACRAMENTO, CA - February 7, 2002 - On Friday, February 1, 2002, the California timber industry's lobbying arm, the California Forestry Association (CFA), filed a petition for writ of mandate in Sacramento's Superior Court in an attempt to derail the California Heritage Tree Preservation Act.

The California Heritage Tree Preservation Act, sponsored by the Citizens' Campaign for Old-Growth Preservation (CFOG), calls for the protection of old-growth trees on non-federally owned forestlands in California. In order to place the initiative on the statewide November ballot, 419,260 valid signatures must be collected in the next several months.

CFA claims the words "old growth," "heritage," and "protects," used in the initiative's official title and summary, are "political rhetoric" and create prejudice in favor of the initiative. The suit also accuses the author of the official title and summary, Attorney General Bill Lockyer, of violating his public duty and claims that, "he should have taken more time" in preparing the initiative's documents. If the court orders a new title and summary, CFOG will be forced to print thousands of new petitions and will be set back a month in meeting the qualification deadline for the November election.

"These assertions are completely false," said Susan Moloney, campaign coordinator for the Campaign for Old-Growth Protection (CFOG). "The timber industry has seen the polls and knows that this initiative is likely to pass. They're using dirty politics in an attempt to delay our efforts to gather signatures in time to place this measure on November's ballot and save California's last remaining ancient trees. It's highly suspicious that the industry waited until three weeks after the title and summary were released to file its case."

The California Heritage Tree Preservation Act applies to all large old-growth trees on California's non-federal forestlands. Old growth is defined as trees that were alive in 1850, the year California became a state. Forestlands are defined as lands capable of growing a crop of trees of any commercial value, including state-owned forests and private property. It is estimated that less than 3% of the native forests of California are still standing.

"This ancient tree protection initiative presents a clear choice between the short-term profits of timber executives and the long-term welfare of future generations. It's a choice that the timber industry doesn't want voters to have," said Chad Hanson, executive director of the John Muir Project.

To read the text of the initiative, go to www.ancienttrees.org.