A New Mandate for State-Owned Forests?

How should state-owned demonstration forests be managed? For private timber production or for climate, biodiversity, clean water, and other values? That's the question being considered by the California legislature with AB 2494 (Rogers). AB 2494 proposes a virtual reserval of priorities. Currently, state law directs that these public lands be managed for "maximum sustained timber production" while "giving consideration" to other resource management. Under AB 2494, managing for other resources takes top billing while still allowing for commercial timber production where that production is used as a tool to achieve the resource objectives. EPIC staff Melodie Meyer and Josefina Barrantes join environmental attorney Alex Leumer to discuss. Support the show