Why does Friends of the Gualala River oppose the Hernandez NTMP?
Non-Industrial timber management plans (NTMPs) are, as the name suggests, intended for landowners who are not primarily engaged in manufacturing forest products such as timber, firewood or furniture for commercial sale. NTMPs are aimed at landowners who want to keep forestland forested and in non-intensive timber production, and avoid the need to sell timberland off for other uses. FoGR generally believes this purpose is valid. We are concerned, however, that the ultra-light environmental review, minimal permit burden and “permanent permit” provided by NTMPs are attractive as a ‘back door’ to logging that is not benign. The permitted logging conditions are granted in perpetuity regardless of changing biological conditions, new development in the area, changing forest management needs, or future changes in the Forest Practices Act. We are especially concerned because NTMPs carry almost no compliance or monitoring. CDF does even less of a “hard look” at NTMPs than it does THPs, and casua
