Conservation Groups Appeal Court-Approved Tree-Thinning Project on Pine Mountain

A legal battle over the U.S. Forest Service’s 755-acre tree and vegetation clearing project atop Pine Mountain and Reyes Peak in Los Padres National Forest is set to continue, pushed forward by concerned conservation groups who filed an appeal on September 19 against a July 19 ruling that allowed the contentious project to proceed. 

First approved by the Forest Service in 2021, the tree-thinning project, known as the Reyes Peak Forest Health Project, was met with overwhelming criticism based primarily on concern over the removal and potential commercial sale of large trees. 

Oppositional arguments revolve around the use of the site for outdoor recreation; the Chumash people, for whom the mountain (“Opnow”) holds religious and spiritual significance; and conservationists’ claims that the ridgeline is important for vulnerable plant and animal species, such as the California condor. 

Last year, the project’s opponents, including conservation groups Los Padres Forest Watch and the Center for Biological Diversity, sued the Forest Service in U.S. District Court, saying the project would violate environmental laws, harm wildlife, and damage roadless areas in the forest. 

The Forest Service, however, claimed the project aimed to reduce wildfire hazards and protect the area’s trees from disease and harmful bug infestations. The court agreed, ruling on July 19 “that the USFS relied on the best available science regarding the improvement of forest stand resilience,” and that the plaintiffs “failed to demonstrate” the significant impacts alleged in their lawsuit, according to the Forest Service. The court ruled against the opposing conservationists, deciding that the project was consistent with law and Forest Service regulations. 

Following the court’s July 19 decision, the conservationists’ current appeal was filed in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals with an eye to canceling the project.