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Mechanical Treatment Alternatives. Mechanical treatment methods are available which offer 

 a means to treat conifer stands with high fuel loading, resulting in healthy, fire-resistant stands 

 that can withstand the re-introduction of prescribed fire. Modern equipment is used to thin 

 conifer stands, removing trees up to 20 inches in diameter, utilizing the trees removed for small 

 sawlogs and biomass for fueling electric power generating plants. Within and adjacent to the 

 Stanislaus National Forest, approximately 5000 acres of public and privately-owned timberlands 

 are treated annually in this manner. Products harvested amount to an average of 2000 board feet 

 of sawlogs and 20-30 green tons of biomass per acre or a total of 10 million board feet of 

 sawlogs and 125,000 green tons of biomass annually. The value of the products is market-driven 

 and fluctuates with demand, but at the present time, a residual value remains after harvesting 

 costs are subtracted to pay some stumpage and allow a profit. The cost of biomass removal is 

 subsidized by the value of the sawlogs, however. The amount of land treated in this manner 

 could be expanded to 15,000 acres on public and private lands annually if the acres were made 

 available for treatment. 



Barriers to a mechanical treatment program exist which constrain the amount of land treated. 

 Collaboration with state, county and local communities to set local goals for management of the 

 lands of all ownerships, including goals for fuel treatment, has not occurred. The withholding of 

 the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement (RDEIS) for the California Spotted Owl from 

 public review and comment does not reflect a willingness to enter into the necessary 

 collaboration with all of the affected publics or reflect concern for the economic viability of 

 counties and local communities. Any additions to the scientific base of the RDEIS from new 

 information could be handled during the public comment. The SNEP has strongly recommended 

 that this collaboration occur as soon as possible. 



The lack of a consistent program of multiproduct timber sales by the Forest Service gives little 

 incentive for the investments needed by entrepreneurs to successfully conduct a business 

 enterprise without undue risk. The complex environmental reviews and timber sale preparation 

 processes keep agency costs high. A bill (AB1357) is currently moving through the California 

 State Legislature to simplify the timber harvest planning process for private lands for thinning 

 operations. The deregulation of the electric utility industry in California may result in the loss of 

 markets for the biomass removal which has added significantly to the quality of the fuel 

 treatment. The social value of the utilization of the biomass under conditions which result in 

 cleaner air and production of energy needs to be considered. A number of environmental groups 

 have opposed programs utilizing mechanical fuel treatment on the basis that they are typically 

 some scheme to justify the cutting of green trees. Green trees can also be fuel. The influence of 

 these environmental groups is often to the detriment of the setting and achievement of goals by 

 the local communities. And the use of prescribed fire is advocated when it is not necessarily the 

 best method. A stronger, more professionally-based education program is needed to educate the 

 public and gain acceptance of alternative methods of fuel treatment. 



