Ventura County Supervisors, Ojai City Council Vote to Oppose Forest Service’s Logging Project on Pine Mountain

Ojai, CA — The Ventura County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 last week to officially oppose the controversial Pine Mountain logging project recently approved by the Forest Service. Yesterday, the Ojai City Council voted unanimously to officially oppose  the Pine Mountain Project and a similar proposal on Mt. Pinos.  

Jeffrey pines and white firs in the Pine Mountain Project area. Photo by Bryant Baker

Supervisors Linda Parks and Matt LaVere (whose district encompasses the Pine Mountain Project) brought the issue before the Board of Supervisors. They were joined by Supervisors Carmen Ramirez and Bob Huber in voting to establish an official County position of opposition to the Pine Mountain Project and to submit a letter to the Forest Service detailing their concerns. The lone dissenter was Supervisor Kelly Long, who initially and mistakenly claimed during the hearing that the project area was in her district.

Following suit, Mayor Betsy Stix of Ojai brought a similar vote before the city council there on Tuesday. The mayor as well as the four other city councilmembers expressed serious concerns over both the Pine Mountain Project and the Forest Service’s proposal to carry out similar activities on Mt. Pinos. Councilmember William Weirick successfully amended the motion to direct the City’s legal counsel to explore litigation options. 

“We applaud the Ventura County Board of Supervisors and Ojai City Council for making such a powerful statement about the Forest Service’s planned logging and chaparral removal activities across unique and treasured areas deep in the backcountry,” said Los Padres ForestWatch conservation director Bryant Baker. “We hope other local governments will speak out about further about these projects.” 

The votes by both elected bodies add to the massive public opposition to the Forest Service’s plan to cut trees and clear chaparral across 755 acres on Pine Mountain in the Ventura County backcountry. The agency approved the project despite over 16,000 comments of opposition that Forest Service officials received from tribal groups, elected officials, organizations, businesses, and the general public. 

The approval was issued using a loophole that allows the Forest Service to bypass normal requirements to prepare an environmental assessment. The loophole allowed the agency to avoid analyzing any alternatives or mitigation measures that would reduce or avoid damage caused by the devegetation project, and it allows the agency to move forward without offering any formal public objection or appeal opportunity to address concerns. 

The project allows the use of heavy equipment to log live and dead trees up to two feet in diameter and clear rare old-growth chaparral along six miles of the prominent ridge known as Pine Mountain stretching from Highway 33 to Reyes Peak. Trees larger than two feet in diameter can also be removed under vague stipulations. A commercial timber sale would be allowed as part of the logging activities according to the decision. 

Only an hour drive from Ojai, the area is a popular destination for campers, hikers, climbers, and other recreationists. The ridge is also home to some of the most diverse and unique habitats in the region. The forests and chaparral on Pine Mountain support more than 400 species of native plants as well as mountain lions, black bears, bobcats, mule deer, and numerous birds and small mammals. A recent study commissioned by Los Padres ForestWatch found multiple California spotted owls—one of the rarest owl species in California—near the project area. 

Since the proposal was released last year, the Forest Service has received thousands of comments opposing the project. Multiple Indigenous groups, including the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians, and Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation, submitted letters opposing the project due to likely impacts on cultural sites and the environment. 

The Forest Service also received letters from Representatives Salud Carbajal (CA-24) and Julia Brownley (CA-26) expressing concerns about the project and the agency’s lack of robust environmental review. In May 2021, the members of Congress also expressed their concerns to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, whose agency oversees the Forest Service. The members of Congress never received a response, despite the Biden administration’s pledge to conduct thorough environmental reviews, conserve land, and protect wildlife. 

As the project was approved using a loophole, the only option for organizations and members of the public to seek changes or reverse the decision is through the court system rather than through a formal objection process normally afforded with projects of this scale and scope. A team of organizations that submitted detailed comments on the project is currently reviewing legal options for altering the course of the project. The Pine Mountain decision is the third such logging project approval in as many years by Los Padres National Forest officials. Lawsuits over two earlier projects approved in 2018 and 2019, which would affect the Tecuya Ridge and Cuddy Valley areas of southern Kern County, are still being decided in court.  

A list of Frequently Asked Questions about the Reyes Peak Project is available on the Protect Pine Mountain campaign website.