Seeking Longer Life for Some of Our Elders : Innovative bill would protect tract of ancient redwoods

An aerial view of the Headwaters Forest in Humboldt County reveals dense green stands of old redwoods, some of which have survived since before Rome fell. But just as prominent are acres of desolate land criss-crossed by now-abandoned logging roads.

This patchwork is so dramatic and the remaining old-growth redwoods so precious that an imaginative effort is under way to save the trees. That this effort is meeting with some success is due to a new spirit of creativity and sophistication among environmentalists, plus lawmakers’ growing awareness of the toll taken by decades of destructive forest practices.

California’s trademark redwood trees once proliferated in the coastal ranges. But the monetary value of those trees has meant that fewer and fewer remain; a single ancient tree 300 feet tall and 15 feet in diameter can bring $150,000 when cut for lumber. The temptation to cut has been irresistible and the devastation that results to plant and animal life has been extreme. Only 5,000 to 6,000 acres of privately owned old growth remain in the Headwaters area.

Without the dense tree canopy, the marbled murrelet, a robin-sized sea bird that nests inland, has declined precipitously. There are now only 2,000 to 5,000 of the birds where there once were up to 40,000. Endangered species in the area also include the spotted owl, the peregrine falcon and species of fish and amphibians.

Cutting has intensified since 1986 when the Pacific Lumber Co., whose old-growth grove is the largest privately owned patch of these trees anywhere, was acquired in a hostile takeover by financier Charles Hurwitz, head of the Houston-based conglomerate Maxxam Inc. Many feared that old-growth logging increased to meet the monthly interest payments on Maxxam’s massive debt.

This forest is much too valuable to end up as “lawn furniture and hot-tub decking,” as one environmentalist says. That’s why Congress needs to pass H.R. 2866, the Headwaters Forest Act. Sponsored by Rep. Dan Hamburg (D-Ukiah), this bill would authorize the federal government to acquire the now-privately owned tract of about 44,000 acres, of which 3,800 acres are covered with dense ancient trees. These lands would become part of the national forest system and thus subject to stricter federal logging rules, including a ban on taking old-growth trees.

If the bill passes after it goes to the House floor this month, the question of how to finance such an expensive purchase will come to the fore. The measure allows for purchase of the property outright with federal funds or a debt-for-nature swap. The latter approach is now employed in some developing countries to halt deforestation. It may make just as much sense in California, especially in an era of scarce federal dollars. The debt in this case is the $1.6-billion federal bail-out in 1988 of Hurwitz’s United Savings Assn. of Texas, one of the most expensive savings and loan failures in U.S history. That debt, or some portion of it, could be exchanged for the Headwaters Forest. Either approach--debt swap or outright purchase--is acceptable. The important thing is to act before these precious trees disappear.