Forests are often called the lungs of the earth. They breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. In doing so, they sequester carbon keeping it safely out of the atmosphere, help regulate worldwide climate and enable the existence of other life forms, including ourselves. Forests also filter water, create precipitation, support soil health and stability, provide habitat and promote biodiversity. They provide raw materials for wood products, and abundant recreation opportunities. They inspire with their beauty and grandeur and have immense cultural significance to many Native American tribes.
Egregious forest management and logging practices are devastating intact forestlands worldwide. These practices are contributing to climate change, degraded water supplies and soil, a decrease in biodiversity, and an increase in frequency and severity of wildfires. Let's do something about it!
Who We Are
The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter Forest Protection Committee (LPFPC) believes that our forests need protection more than ever. Our team monitors forest management projects and timber harvest plans within the range of the Chapter and provides comments and recommendations to help ensure these projects are performed in an environmentally responsible manner. We attend local FireSafe meetings, meet with our local, state and federal legislators, and educate the public about important forest and wildfire safety issues through letters to the editor, opinion pieces and promotion of StopClearcuttingCA’s Forest Protection Forum.
Our deep love for forests and an appreciation of their importance to the well-being of the planet motivates us to take action to protect them. We strive to educate ourselves, other chapter members, the public, and local politicians about the environmental value of forests and the issues that threaten them. Relying on the best available science to inform our views, we promote healthier forest management practices.
If you love forests and are an activist or want to be, join us! The Loma Prieta Forest Protection Committee hosts educational events and takes action to help protect forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains and throughout California. The committee also promotes home hardening and community planning to help communities be safer from fire. To learn more, click here!
Our virtual Zoom meetings take place
on the 4th Thursday of the month from 4pm to 6pm
Loma Prieta Calendar
Committee chairperson: Karen Maki (Forests@lomaprieta.SierraClub.org)
Our Mission
To preserve and protect the forests of California in order to mitigate climate change, protect ecosystems, promote biodiversity, and safeguard existing recreational opportunities. Forests sequester and store carbon, and they support biodiverse native habitats and species, clean water resources, as well as soil health and stability.
Our tools include education, advocacy, and political action.
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2024 Strategies
Learn more about the 2024 committee strategies! |
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Past Work
Learn more about at some of the work we've done! |
Forest Protection Forum
Mixed Severity Fires: Nature's Phoenix
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Presented by Dr. Chad Hanson, Independent Forest Ecologist and Founder of the John Muir Project of the Earth Island Institute October 21, 4:00 pm (PST) |
For more than 25 years, the John Muir Project (JMP) has been at the forefront of the fight to protect our national forests, national parks, roadless areas, and other federal public lands from logging to ensure that these forests can fully support native plants and animals, contribute the most toward mitigating climate change, and create the best opportunities for respite and recreation. JMP relies on in-house original scientific research, forest watch, public education, national policy development, and the enforcement of environmental laws through litigation to ensure that our native forest ecosystems will be shaped by natural processes, such as fire, rather than chainsaws and profit.
Dr. Hanson will speak about the recently released second edition of his book, co-authored with Dominick Dellasala, Mixed Severity Fires: Nature's Phoenix.
To learn more and register click here.
Allies and Partners
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Here are some of our allies and partners: |
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