Green Diamond President Bill Brown, CNO Assistant Manager John Engbring, and NOAA Fisheries Regional Administrator Rod McGinnis sign the HCP/CCAA Implementation Agreement at a ceremony in Korbel, California. (Photo by Mike Long, 6/12/07, Korbel, CA)

Green Diamond, FWS, and NOAA Fisheries employees who played key roles in development of the HCP/CCAA were recognized at the signing ceremony and presented with commemorative jackets. (Photo by Nan Reck; 6/12/07; Korbel, CA)

Mike Long
Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office 
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service announced June 12, 2007, the issuance of an Enhancement of Survival Permit and an Incidental Take Permit to the Green Diamond Resource Company on its 416,000 acres of timberlands in Del Norte and Humboldt counties in Northern California.  The Habitat Conservation Plan and Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances upon which the permits are premised seek to conserve habitat for and mitigate impacts on seven aquatic species:  Coho salmon; Steelhead; Chinook salmon; Coastal cutthroat trout; Rainbow trout; Southern torrent salamander and the Tailed frog.  The plan was developed by Green Diamond Resource Company with technical assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

At a signing ceremony held in Korbel, Calif.,  Fish and Wildlife Service CNO Assistant Manager John Engbring, National Marine Fisheries Service Regional Administrator Rod McInnis and Green Diamond President, Bill Brown signed the formal agreement.  A large portion of the plan addresses the 4,000 miles of roads on Green Diamond’s California timberlands. Green Diamond Resource Company is now the recipient of the first Habitat Conservation Plan and Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances in California to be jointly processed by the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.  The plan was the result of tremendous cooperation and hard work, and is a milestone for Green Diamond and the Services alike.

“This HCP/CCAA is based on sound science and includes measurable goals and objectives designed to meet the needs of the covered species,” said Steve Thompson, California and Nevada Manager for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  “In addition, by addressing the conservation needs of unlisted species, Green Diamond decreases the likelihood that these species will need to be listed in the future.”

The conservation measures of this 50-year plan focus on assessing, conserving and monitoring the populations and habitats of the species covered under the plan and are designed to be a comprehensive conservation program.  The plan addresses several goals designed to improve habitat for listed and other at-risk species:

1)                  Maintain cool water temperatures consistent with the requirements of the individual species;

2)                  Minimize and mitigate human-caused sediment inputs;

3)                  Improve stream conditions through in-stream recruitment of large woody debris;

4)                  Monitor conditions and adapt elements of the plan to benefit the species covered under the plan.

The HCP/CCAA also includes a monitoring element that will track the progress of the Plan in meeting the stated objectives.  An Adaptive Management Reserve Account has been established to make adjustments to the conservation measures, as necessary, to ensure that the objectives will be met and that the conservation needs of the species will be met.  This approach is in a sense an insurance policy to ensure the Plan succeeds in its conservation goals.

Green Diamond has been on the leading edge of Habitat Conservation Planning.  The Company’s 1992 HCP for spotted owls was the first HCP to address commercial forest management in the western states.  Implementation of this HCP has been a success, and demonstrates the Company’s commitment to conservation on their lands. 

Green Diamond Resource Company is one of the largest commercial timber companies in California, where they own and manage approximately 450,000 acres.  This HCP/CCAA  provides a conservation benefit at a landscape level, while at the same time providing regulatory certainty to the company as they carry out their commercial timber harvest operations.  Such a forward-looking approach makes good conservation sense and business sense.