California to protect trees near streams for salmon
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headline:
California to protect trees near streams for salmon
By Matt Weiser | Sacramento Bee
Little-known Honcut Creek is the one place where imperiled California
salmon might be able to make a comeback.
It's also where new logging rules soon will restrict how many trees
can be cut on private land along this Feather River tributary, even
though there aren't any salmon in its forested reaches. The goal is to
protect potential salmon habitat by preserving shade along the creek
-- to keep the water cool -- and to prevent erosion that could destroy
spawning gravels downstream.
The logging rules are full of new language asserting the duty of
landowners to protect salmon and their habitat at all times, a major
difference from old rules in which lumber production was the primary
concern