Sierra Pacific Industries

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Sierra Pacific Industries
Company typePrivate
IndustryLumber
FounderR.H. Emmerson and Archie Aldis Emmerson
Headquarters
Anderson, California
,
United States
Number of locations
6 sawmills in California, 2 sawmills in Oregon, & 4 sawmills in Washington
ProductsWood products
Websitehttp://www.spi-ind.com/

Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) is the second-largest lumber producer[1] in the United States. Located in Anderson, California, it is the largest private landholder in California. However, it has drawn criticism for its allegedly eco-damaging practices.

Background[edit]

On 16 August 2017 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between parties interested in reducing wildfires on federal, state and Sierra Pacific Industries land in California. Members of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and U.S. Forest Service joined Mark Emmerson of SPI (second right) in making the declaration.

Logging in the Sierra Nevada arose from the desire for economic growth throughout California. The California Gold Rush created a high demand for timber in housing construction, mining procedures, and building railroads. In the early days, forest harvesting was unregulated and within the first 20 years after the gold rush, a third of the timber in the Sierra Nevada was logged.[2] The overall economic impact of the forest industry in California in the 21st century is fairly modest. California forests produce about 350 million board feet of wood products annually. These products include $100 million in market value for saw timber and $40 million in market value electricity produced from biomass. Logging creates jobs for about 2,000 private sector workers. For comparison, thirty-three million people visit the National Forests of California for recreation, generating 38,000 outdoor recreation-related jobs.[3]

History[edit]

Sierra Pacific Industries—originally R.H. Emerson—was founded in the 1920s, by R. H. "Curly" Emmerson and his son A. A. "Red" Emmerson,[4][5] with the intention of building a sawmill. Previous attempts at running them had proven unsuccessful for the Emmersons.[6] The company underwent radical expansion due to the 1980s housing boom as the majority of its lumber was destined for the house-building market. As a result of this demand, it purchased approximately 1,000,000 acres (1,600 sq mi) in Northern California at a cost of around $660 million (equivalent to $1539215486.5 million in 2023).[4] SPI bought the Sonora sawmill in 1995; this had been in operation since 1901. SPI closed the plant in 2009, although it reopened two years later following an upgrade.[7] By the 21st century, the company owned mills and timberland in the states of California, Oregon and Washington, but as well as forest had also divested into recreational parks and biomass energy[6] .

Business and criticism[edit]

SPI has been described as "California's largest landowner", with an estimated holding of 1,700,000 acres (2,700 sq mi), amounting to twice the area of Yosemite National Park. They are, argued SFGate, "a major player in any consideration of the state's environmental future".[4] The company's activities have attracted criticism from environmentalists, however, on account of the damage its logging techniques may have caused. For example, local activists have complained that the destruction of large numbers of clear cut trees would lead to the use of vast quantities of herbicides on their replacements, to the harm of local ecology, especially rivers. Other criticisms have focussed on the damage to local wildlife. A suit against deforestation was filed against the company in January 2008. Activists requested the company place itself under the advice of the Forest Stewardship Council.[4] This body—an international non-profit promoting responsible management of forestry—advocates a system of logging certification.[8][9] SPI are a member of the self-regulated industry body Sustainable Forestry Initiative.[note 1] SPI has occasionally sold some of its land to the Trust for Public Land (TPL) for the purpose of regenerating local wildlife, including 7,000 acres (11 sq mi) near Lake Tahoe and its forest. TPL has defended SPI, stating the two organisations had "an excellent working relationship ... We've done a lot of important land conservation together. They've been an extremely reliable landowner to work with."[4]

Governance and Foundation[edit]

Tree marker indicating property of Sierra Pacific Industries

The president was A. A. "Red" Emmerson, who was married for over 40 years to Ida. Their sons George and Mark succeeded their father as President and Chief Executive, respectively.[5] Business insider has termed the Emmersons "this family you've probably never heard of owns more land than anyone else in America".[6]

Ida became the president of the company's Foundation, on its creation in 1979. She was succeeded at the foundation by their daughter, George and Marlkl's sister, Carolyn Dietz. The Foundation was intended to raise money for the dependents of its workforce to go to college and achieve scholarships.[7]

The Foundation has made several grants and donations. In 2015, it committed $6 million to Oregon State University's wood laboratory to expand its development. In return, the laboratory was named for red Emmerson.[5] Three years later, following the Carr Fires, it donated $1.1 million towards the Whiskeytown Environment School and another $750,000 for the rebuilding of housing that had been damaged.[13] Meanwhile Hoquiam Fire Department received $2000 to help fight wildfires.[14]

A. A. Emmerson and his children have all donated to the National Alliance of Forest Owners PAC, and have been described the PAC as being among "individual donors [who] gave 110 large ($200+) contributions" over several election cycles.[15][note 2]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ SFI, suggested The New York Times, is considered less stringent than the Forest Stewardship Council.[10][11] For example, SFI allows more tree farming and requires fewer conservation plans or consultation with local and indigenous stakeholders.[11] However, it does enjoy the support of conservation groups such as the American Bird Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Arbor Day Foundation, American Forests, and the Canadian Parks Council.[12]
  2. ^ Between 2014 and 2024, A. A. Emmerson donated $40,000; George and Mark Emmerson $45,000; and Carolyn Dietz $15,000.[16]

References[edit]

  1. ^ SPI 2014.
  2. ^ Beesley 1996, pp. 4–6.
  3. ^ US Forest Service 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e Curiel 2008.
  5. ^ a b c OSU 2015.
  6. ^ a b c Dean 2024.
  7. ^ a b Congressional Record 2011, p. 15401.
  8. ^ Gulbrandsen 2010, p. 2–4.
  9. ^ Hale 2020, pp. 203–220.
  10. ^ Navarro 2009.
  11. ^ a b MacDonald 2009.
  12. ^ SFI 2021.
  13. ^ anewscafe 2023.
  14. ^ KXRO 2021.
  15. ^ Open secrets 2024a(See note re. "several".)
  16. ^ Open secrets 2024a; Open secrets 2024b; Open secrets 2024c; Open secrets 2024d; Open secrets 2024e; Open secrets 2024f.

Works[edit]


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