Jerry Brown wins settlement requiring Forest Service to reconsider roads in national forests

[tabatha]

LOS ANGELES -- A settlement announced today by the state attorney general's office requires the U.S. Forest Service to reconsider its plans to build roads through the Cleveland, Angeles, Los Padres and San Bernardino national forests.

"With this settlement, the state of California will now play an active role along with the Forest Service in determining which areas of Southern California forests will be preserved as wilderness," said Attorney General — and Gov.-elect — Jerry Brown.

While much of the area is wilderness, development has already occurred in parts, and just 900,000 acres remain roadless, according to the attorney general's office.

The Forest Service issued plans that failed to properly analyze the environmental impact of various non-wilderness uses and failed to consult with state officials, Brown said.

The settlement requires the Forest Service to consider designating as many as 37 new wilderness or roadless areas.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_16919734

Thank you, Jerry Brown. I am glad you have a good replacement.

[villager]

1. glad to see yet another environmentally clueless Federal agency reined in!

:thumbsup:

[Creative]

2. Forests in southern California...? I don't remember seeing any.

[tabatha]

3. The general areas are misnamed

because they include non-forest chaparral.

However, there are forests in Southern California:

"Southern California Conifer Forests"
http://earthscience.ucr.edu/docs/chapter%2018.pdf

Here is a Christmas greeting using a photograph of Pseudotsuga macrocarpa photographed not 30 miles from Central Coast, Southern California.

[Creative]

4. Okay...thanks for the information.

And Season's Greetings...!

[XemaSab]

5. There are actually some very nice forests in Southern California

The San Bernardino mountains and the Cleveland National Forest are particularly pretty. :)

[Creative]

6. After my response, I did some research and although there are forests,

they are not as lush and green as the forests that I am accustomed to seeing.

[tabatha]

7. They are green - evergreen. Most conifers are evergreen.

I don't know what constitutes lush, but a forest I have visited a few times, is just incredible.