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East of Big Sage Reservoir and North of Modoc Recreational Estates
October 2, 2013
The measuring stick has increments of six inches.
In October 2011 we reported an illegal commercial firewood cutting operation in this same general area. This recent cutting of seven old growth juniper trees, October 2013, appears to be the result of a single wood cutter for one truck load.
The old juniper trees that were cut were all quite obviously old growth. The ages of the cut old juniper ranged from about 270 years up to about 525 years. Whole trees were cut down as well as just limbs on some very old trees. There are plenty of legal young juniper in the area but these were not cut. Old growth juniper were the intended target.
There are still some areas of beautiful old juniper left in this area of the Modoc National Forest. Until the MNF designates specific areas of young juniper as the only places allowed for wood cutting, this destruction of a valuable public resource will continue. The Sage Steppe Restoration Strategy, (2008), requires designated wood cutting areas to preserve the old growth juniper on the MNF. The Modoc National Forest has so far refused to implement this part of their management plan.