THE THREAT AND THE VISION

The 2700 acre Bohemian Grove constitutes the largest remnant old growth and mature second growth stands of redwood and Douglas fir within easy driving distance of the Bay Area. Most of the well known old growth stands we think of, such as Muir Woods, are protected and managed for ecological values, but the Bohemian Grove is not protected and has been commercially logged at a rate of 500,000 board feet per year since 1984. During that period, some 11 million board feet of redwood and fir were removed from the property, causing extensive damage to hiking trails and streams, doubling the road system at the Grove and fragmenting the naturally recovering forest into timber management units.

As if this 20 year period of damaging commercial logging was not bad enough, the Bohemian Club is now seeking to double that rate of logging to 1.13 million board feet per year, eventually tripling the historic logging rate to 1.8 million board feet per year.

Environmentalists believe that the impacts of the Bohemian Club’s proposal would destroy one of two remaining significant old growth stands on the lower Russian River, the other being Armstrong State Reserve outside Guerneville

Instead, we propose a very different approach to managing this property, one that would restore its ecological integrity and – we believe – is also closer to the vision early Bohemians held for the forest when they purchased this property.

9/11/07
Click Here to Read an Environmentalist's Alternative Vision for the Grove:
A Restoration Approach to Forest Management at the Bohemian Grove
by John Hooper

LINK TO JH PAPER PRESENTED TO GROVE COMMITTEE MARCH 2003