Humboldt County supervisors voted Tuesday to have staff draft a countywide old-growth tree protection ordinance and come back with a temporary moratorium proposal, moving the issue beyond the Lower Redway Q zone that first brought it to the board.
The board separated the broader countywide step from a narrower motion on Lower Redway and old-growth protections. According to the meeting summary, supervisors voted 4-1 on the countywide direction, with Supervisor Bone opposed.
Staff had already framed the Lower Redway issue as a problem of updating local tree-protection rules after recent disputes over tree removal. The summary says the board also directed staff to update the Lower Redway Q zone through an open working-committee process, while separately asking for a countywide ordinance and a temporary moratorium proposal.
Public comment was extensive. Environmental advocate Tom Wheeler of EPIC urged stronger countywide protections and a temporary moratorium, while other commenters asked for clearer rules, better notice and a broader public process. Staff said hazardous-tree removals would still be handled through existing emergency permit pathways.
The board’s move shifts the tree-protection debate from a localized zoning fix in Lower Redway to a countywide policy process that could lead to near-term restrictions while the ordinance is being developed.
