forest conversion – Page 2

SuzanneJune 14, 2014Forests, Land Use, Local Organizations, Sonoma Coastforest conversion, Friends of the Gualala River, VESCO, vineyardsLeave a comment

Environmental groups' lawsuit could upend Sonoma County vineyard policies

Guy Kovner, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Three environmental groups are challenging Sonoma County’s approval of a 54-acre Annapolis vineyard in a case that reflects long-standing conflict over expansion of the county’s $600 million a year grape industry.

If the lawsuit were to succeed, it would wipe out the county’s vineyard development law, itself born amid controversy between growers and environmentalists 14 years ago.

That friction has intensified with the recent growth of forest-to-vineyard projects near the coast, a cool region hospitable to pinot noir grapes, the most expensive varietal grown in the county.

via Environmental groups' lawsuit could upend Sonoma County vineyard policies | The Press Democrat.

SuzanneJune 4, 2014Forests, Land Use, Sonoma CoastArtesa Winery, forest conversion, tree removal, vineyards, wine industryLeave a comment

Artesa forest-to-vineyard conversion near Annapolis shelved

Robert Digitale, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

June 3, 2014, 7:29 PM

Artesa Vineyards and Winery of Napa has shelved its hotly disputed plans to plant a vineyard on forest land near Annapolis and has put the 324-acre property on the market for $1.5 million, the company announced Tuesday.

The decision was hailed by environmentalists, who last year persuaded a Sonoma County judge to rule that the vineyard project’s environmental studies were flawed.

“For us and the forest, it’s great news,” Friends of the Gualala River President Chris Poehlmann said of the winery’s decision.

via Artesa vineyard plans near Annapolis shelved | The Press Democrat.

SuzanneDecember 7, 2013Forests, Land UseArtesa Winery, forest conversion, Friends of the Gualala River, Sierra Club, vineyardsLeave a comment

Ruling deals setback to Artesa's disputed vineyard plan

Brett Wilkison, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Environmentalists are hailing a court ruling this week that deals a significant setback to a hotly disputed vineyard project in northwestern Sonoma County.

If it stands, the decision could serve as a bulwark against the push of vineyards into a mostly untilled swath of the region’s coast range, blocking grape growers searching for cooler ground for their crops in the advance of climate change.

The ruling stems from a lawsuit brought last year by three groups challenging state approval of plans by Artesa Vineyards and Winery of Napa, owned by the Spanish wine giant Grupo Codorniu.

It wants to clear 154 acres of second- and third-growth redwood and fir trees and former orchard land near Annapolis to grow premium chardonnay and pinot noir grapes.

via Ruling deals setback to Artesa’s disputed vineyard plan | The Press Democrat.

SuzanneDecember 6, 2013Forests, Land UseArtesa Winery, forest conversion, Friends of the Gualala River, Sierra Club, vineyards

Court rejects plan to clearcut California redwoods for vineyard

Press Release: Friends of the Gualala River, Sierra Club Redwood Chapter, Center for Biological Diversity

Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Elliot Daum has rejected a plan to clearcut 154 acres of Northern California redwoods to plant vineyards for a winery. The proposal in northwestern Sonoma County was challenged by the Sierra Club’s Redwood Chapter, the Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Gualala River. In response, Judge Daum said the state’s “environmental impact report” for Artesa Winery’s forest-to-vineyard project violates the California Environmental Quality Act.

“The highest and best use of coastal forests is to remain in their natural condition so they can protect our coastal rivers, support fish and wildlife, and combat climate change by sequestering carbon,” said Victoria Brandon, chair of the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter.

The judge found that, in preparing the environmental review for the project, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) failed to properly analyze alternatives that would be less damaging to the environment, such as using an unforested area for the vineyard.The court also determined that the agency did not appropriately address the lost carbon sequestration that would result from destroying the redwood forest. Redwood forests are well known for their capacity to absorb massive amounts of greenhouse gases as they mature over time.

Continue reading “Court rejects plan to clearcut California redwoods for vineyard”

SuzanneOctober 19, 2013Forests, Land UseArtesa Winery, forest conversion, Friends of the Gualala River, Sierra Club, vineyards, wine industryLeave a comment

A fight over vineyards pits redwoods against red wine

Alastair Bland, NPR, THE SALT
In the California wine mecca of Sonoma County, climate change is pitting redwood lovers against red wine lovers.This Friday morning, a coalition of environmental groups are in a Santa Rosa, Calif., courtroom fighting to stop a Spanish-owned winery from leveling 154 acres of coast redwoods and Douglas firs to make way for grapevines.
Redwoods only grow in the relatively cool coastal region of Northern California and southern Oregon. Parts of this range, such as northwestern Sonoma County, have become increasingly coveted by winemakers.
Chris Poehlmann, president of a small organization called Friends of the Gualala River, says the wine industry is creeping toward the coast as Californias interior valleys heat up and consumers show preferences for cooler-weather grapes like pinot noir.”Inexorably, the wine industry is looking for new places to plant vineyards,” says Poehlmann, whose group is among the plaintiffs.
via A Fight Over Vineyards Pits Redwoods Against Red Wine : The Salt : NPR.

SuzanneOctober 17, 2013Forests, Land UseArtesa Winery, forest conversion, vineyardsLeave a comment

Chainsaw Wine

Alastair Bland, THE NORTH BAY BOHEMIAN
There is no forest among the trees. That’s what state officials have said regarding a large stand of second-growth redwood and Douglas fir near Annapolis that a Spanish-owned winery has proposed to level and replace with grapevines and a winery.

The project, proposed by Artesa Vineyards & Winery, has been lumbering through the legal process for several years now, and to the dismay of Sonoma County environmentalists, it has progressed almost to the finish line. Now, the only roadblock still in the way is the lawsuit filed against the state by three conservation groups in June of 2012, and which will be heard in the Sonoma County Superior Court this Friday.
via Chainsaw Wine | News | North Bay Bohemian.

SuzanneJune 22, 2013Forests, Wildlifeendangered species, forest conversion, marijuanaLeave a comment

Marijuana Crops in California Threaten Forests and Wildlife

Felicity Barringer, THE NEW YORK TIMES

ARCATA, Calif. — It took the death of a small, rare member of the weasel family to focus the attention of Northern California’s marijuana growers on the impact that their huge and expanding activities were having on the environment.

The animal, a Pacific fisher, had been poisoned by an anticoagulant in rat poisons like d-Con. Since then, six other poisoned fishers have been found. Two endangered spotted owls tested positive. Mourad W. Gabriel, a scientist at the University of California, Davis, concluded that the contamination began when marijuana growers in deep forests spread d-Con to protect their plants from wood rats.

via Marijuana Crops in California Threaten Forests and Wildlife – NYTimes.com.

SuzanneFebruary 27, 2013Forests, Land Use, Local Organizationsforest conversion, redwoods, Sonoma Land Trust, vineyardsLeave a comment

Preservation Ranch deal: Tentative $24.5 million deal would halt controversial plan for vineyards

Brett Wilkison, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

A national conservation group has reached an agreement to buy nearly 20,000 acres of timberland in northwestern Sonoma County, a move that derails the long-disputed, forest-to-vineyards conversion project pushed by CalPERS, the giant state workers pension fund.

The $24.5 million purchase of the so-called Preservation Ranch, to be completed by the end of May, is led by The Conservation Fund, based in Virginia. It would contribute up to $6 million toward the purchase.

via $24.5 million deal to protect 20,000-acre Sonoma County forest | PressDemocrat.com.

SuzanneJune 8, 2012ForestsArtesa Winery, forest conversion, Friends of the Gualala River, vineyardsLeave a comment

Environmental groups file lawsuits over Artesa vineyard project

by Brett Wilkison, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Three environmental groups sued the state and a Spanish wine conglomerate on Thursday over approval of a hotly disputed vineyard project in northwest Sonoma County.
The groups oppose plans by Artesa Vineyards and Winery of Napa, owned by the Spanish wine giant Grupo Codorniu, to clear about 150 acres of second-growth forest and former orchard land outside of Annapolis to grow chardonnay and pinot noir grapes.
via Opponents file lawsuits over Artesa vineyard project | PressDemocrat.com.

SuzanneMay 10, 2012Forestsagriculture, Artesa Winery, forest conversion, vineyardsLeave a comment

State OKs Artesa Vineyards forest-to-vineyard plan

by Brett Wilkison, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

State forestry officials on Tuesday approved a controversial timber-to-vineyard conversion project in northwest Sonoma County, following through with a decision expected months ago.

The decision on what is considered the largest timber-to-vineyard project in state history clears the most significant regulatory hurdle facing Artesa Vineyards and Winery.

State OKs forest-to-vineyard plan in Sonoma County | PressDemocrat.com.

Environmental Center of Sonoma County

Tag: forest conversion