A new investigative report by Mother Jones (We Are Bombarding America’s Forests With Roundup– Scientists are wary of glyphosate. MAHA loathes it. And our yearlong investigation shows California is spraying it everywhere) reveals how the US Forest Service is blanketing California’s national forests with Roundup and other herbicides, on an unprecedented scale.
Here, on the Plumas National Forest, the US Forest Service is planning to spray undisclosed quantities of 7 different herbicides– including Imazapyr, a chemical banned in the EU because of extreme toxicity. Areas outside Quincy, Cromberg, Portola, Graeagle, and all along the Hwy 70 corridor, and up into Strawberry Valley are planned to be sprayed with large amounts of herbicides, with grim impacts on human health and the environment. We, along with the Plumas Forest Project and John Muir Project, have filed a lawsuit against the USFS to stop these activities. The case is pending.
Watch the Mother Jones and Democracy Now videos embedded on this page. It’s not wildfire that has deadened large areas north of Greenville- it’s chemicals. Areas with wildfire only, that have not been sprayed or post-fire logged are generally flourishing (eg. in the canyon between Hwy. 70 and Crescent Mills). The difference between treated and untreated areas is stark. This is insanity, and it is spreading through the entire area, unless we put a stop to it.
Spraying by the USFS is also threatening the Lake Tahoe Basin, and thousands of people have already signed a petition to stop it.
If you are not aware of how toxic and dangerous Glyphosate (roundup) is, we suggest you read Stephanie Seneff’s Toxic Legacy — available at the Plumas County Library.
Also, read climate scientist John O’Brien’s analysis of the US Forest Service’s 400+ square mile “Community Destruction Project” — now under way. He calls the project– specifically the herbicide application plan “an experiment on the people of Plumas County.” His CV and qualifications can be found here.