LOS ANGELES — Popular Ventura, California-based clothing brand Patagonia, the city of Ojai, Ventura County and several environmental groups are suing the U.S. Forest Service in an attempt to stop a forest-thinning project on Pine Mountain in Los Padres National Forest.
The Reyes Peak Forest Health and Fuels Reduction Project, first proposed in 2020, would thin and trim 755 acres of forestland that the Forest Service says would alleviate firefighting risks.
But in lawsuits filed last week in federal court, plaintiffs say the project was improperly vetted, would damage the area's flora, fauna and cultural history, and is a vestige of Trump administration logging initiatives.
