California forest policy must bend toward the new social order

Romm, J

California forest policy must bend toward the new social order

Author

Jeff Romm

Author Affiliations

J. Romm is Professor and Chair, Resource Institutions, Policy and Management, College of Natural Resources, UC Berkeley.

Publication Information

Hilgardia 54(2):35-42. DOI:10.3733/ca.v054n02p35. March 2000.

PDF of full article, Cite this article

Abstract

The template for California's forest policies emerged at the beginning of the 20th century, a time of increasing federal power, global expansion and hard social distinctions. Of the state's 2 million or so people, few were eligible to vote and fewer still were interested in forests. Forest policy was the arena of a relatively small group. Today a similar, relatively small group controls California forests, but the political base for their control is eroding. California's diverse and democratic society of 35 million people no longer conforms to the wishes of any forest elite, be it scientific, governmental, industrial or environmental. Yet the state's forest elites continue to arm-wrestle as though the old social structure still held. California citizens, meanwhile, have organized hundreds of watershed groups in neighborhoods and communities statewide, supporting goals such as salmon recovery, urban access and local economic opportunity. These actions represent a massive spontaneous change in political culture. The simple choices of 25 or 50 years ago, of preservation versus use, public versus private, no longer encompass the interests of California's population. By 2025, a highly diversified landscape of forest institutions, management techniques and ecological conditions will soften current jurisdictional distinctions. The people who come to the table to discuss forest policy will no longer be just the elites who shaped forest policy in the 20th century. Whether we are better off or not will depend on how aggressively the state pursues the innovations necessary to sustain cohesive and resilient forest systems serving larger public interests.

References

Allen R. Reluctant Reformers.. 1974. Washington, DC: Howard University Press. 324p.

Almaguer T. Racial Fault Lines.. 1994. Berkeley, CA: UC Press. 281p.

Baker M, Romm J. Emerging Watershed Institutions in California.. California Department of Forestry. Forest and Rangeland Resources Assessment Program 1992. Sacramento, CA.:

[CDFFP] California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. California's Forests and Rangelands: Growing Conflict Over Changing Uses.. California Forest and Rangeland Resources Assessment Program 1988. Sacramento, CA.:

Clark WAV. Immigration, high fertility fuel state's population growth. Cal Ag. 2000. 54(1):11-8.

Erman D., et al. Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project Report.. Wildland Resources Center, UC Davis 1996. I:pp.48-60.

Gyory A. Closing the Gate.. 1998. Raleigh: University of North Carolina Press. 354p.

Kahrl W. Water and Power.. 1982. Berkeley, CA: UC Press. 583p.

Karnow S. In Our Image: America's Empire in the Philippines.. 1989. NY: Ballantine. 494p.

Kelley R. Battling the Inland Sea.. 1998. Berkeley, CA: UC Press. 395p.

MacArthur Working Group. The Business of Sustainable Forestry.. 1998. Chicago: MacArthur Foundation.

McWilliams C. Prejudice.. 1944. NY: Little Brown. 337p.

Muir J. The Yosemite.. 1912. NY: Century.

Pinchot G. Breaking New Ground.. 1946. NY: Harcourt Brace. 522p.

Reich R. The Work of Nations.. 1992. NY: Vintage. 339p.

US Statistical Abstract. US Census Bureau. 1999. State population estimates. www.census.gov/statab/www/part6.html

Walton J. Western Times and Water Wars.. 1992. Berkeley, CA: UC Press. 378p.

Weber D. Dark Sweat, White Gold.. 1994. Berkeley, CA: UC Press. 344p.

Wiebe R. The Search For Order, 1877–1920.. 1967. NY: Hill & Wang. 333p.

Wilkinson C. The Eagle Bird.. 1992. NY: Pantheon. 201p.

Woodward V. American Counterpoint.. 1971. Oxford: p.301.

Also in this issue:

Evaluation of genetically improved strains of Metaseiulus occidentalis (Nesbitt) (Acarina: Phytoseiidae) for integrated control of spider mites on roses in greenhouses

Critical choices ahead for natural resources

Q&A: Global warming: No easy answers

Is California's future hydraulically sustainable?

Restoring aquatic ecosystems is a matter of values

Nonprofit organizations gaining influence

Biodiversity is critical to future health of California's ecology and economy

Soil salinity poses challenges for sustainable agriculture and wildlife

Trace elements slowly accumulating, depleting in soils

The price of water: Market-based strategies are needed to cope with scarcity

Recycled water is a promising new supply source