Report: Dirts roads more problematic than logging for erosion
By Matt Weiser, Sacramento Bee
Dirt roads, not logging clear-cuts, are likely the largest source of erosion that may threaten salmon restoration in Battle Creek, an important Sacramento River tributary.
That is the conclusion of a new report by a special state task force, presented Wednesday at a meeting of the California Board of Forestry.
The so-called “rapid assessment” report was ordered by the administration of Gov. Jerry Brown after a Bee investigation published June 19. The article highlighted conflicts between the state’s simultaneous approval of clear-cut logging and its support for the $128 million restoration project.
The state has contributed $56 million toward the restoration. It involves removing or modifying numerous small Pacific Gas and Electric Co. dams to return endangered salmon and steelhead to 42 miles of habitat. The restoration is about halfway complete.
Relatively little work has been done, however, to assess habitat conditions once spawning access is restored. Sierra Pacific Industries owns 82 percent of the private timberland in the watershed, and has logged about 20,000 acres since 1997, according to the report.