Forest Protection Initiative Canceled

A coalition of environmental groups called off its forest protection initiative campaign Monday, saying it will back compromise legislation instead. The Forest and Water Protection Committee said it will not submit the 750,000 signatures it had collected to qualify its initiative for the June ballot. “We prefer to solve the timber wars through the cooperative path of legislation,” said Jim Hamilton of California Trout, a member of the coalition.

Last week, Gov. Pete Wilson unveiled compromise legislation to restrict logging on private timberland, similar to the “Sierra Accord” that he had vetoed, but with broader support among lumber interests and Republican lawmakers. The initiative proposal backed by the Forest and Water Protection Committee would have been more restrictive than the governor’s proposal.