Sierra Pacific Industries Faces Scrutiny Over Extensive Herbicide Use in California Forests
Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI), a fourth-generation family-owned company and one of the largest lumber and millwork producers in the U.S., is at the forefront of a controversy regarding its widespread use of herbicides in California forests. The company, which owns and sustainably manages over 2.4 million acres of timberland across California, Oregon, and Washington, has filed 2,925 applications for pesticide use, making it the leading industrial forest company in this regard. This extensive application of herbicides, particularly glyphosate, is part of a broader strategy by forest managers, including the U.S. Forest Service, to reduce shrubs that compete with planted seedlings for future timber harvests and to mitigate wildfire risks. However, this practice has drawn significant opposition from neighboring landowners and Plumas County residents, who express concerns about public health and environmental impacts. The Plumas Grassroots Collective has mapped 4,448 pesticide applications totaling 430,000 pou... 
