Protecting California’s Sierra Nevada from Logging
The Bush administration’s 2007 decision dramatically reduced the number of species monitored on the Sierra Nevada national forests—increasing the risk that industrial activities, such as logging, would have harmed sensitive wildlife and fragile habitat.
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Case Overview
In 2007, the Bush Administration decided to dramatically reduce the number of species monitored within the Sierra Nevada forests. Some wildlife, such as the Pacific fisher and northern goshawk were threatened by increasing risks of industrial activities, including logging.
The wellbeing of indicator species, such as the Pacific fisher and the northern goshawk, reflects the overall health of a forest. Conservation groups brought a suit to restore safeguards for a variety of Sierra Nevada wildlife.
In 2012, conservation groups came to an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service that an independent science panel would need to evaluate the service’s selection of plant and animal species as indicators of the overall health of the Sierra Nevada forests.
Case Updates
Case page created on June 17, 2003.