Information on the Acquisition of Lands for Redwood National Park

The Redwood National Park Act established a Redwood National Park in California and authorized $92 million for land acquisition, providing for just compensation for lands taken in the form of cash or by exchange of federally owned property. Responsibility for carrying out negotiations and settlements with the four large timber companies was delegated to the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation.

The total cost to the federal government for land acquisition for this purpose through July 1977 was about $190 million, of which $181 million was for settlements with the four large timber companies. The Bureau of Outdoor Recreation reached final settlement agreement with Arcata National Corporation and Simpson Timber Company through negotiations and/or court action. Agreement has been reached with Georgia-Pacific Corporation on all issues except a claim for severance damage which, as of July 1977, was being decided in the Court of Claims. The Bureau and Harold A. Miller, et al. have been unable to reach agreement on either the value of the property taken by the government or on the amount of severance damage, and Miller has filed suit. Three of the four large timber companies agreed to accept federally-owned land as part of their compensation. In the land exchange with Simpson, agreement was reached on the value of lands, but in exchanges with Arcata and Miller, no agreed value was placed on lands taken at the time of the exchanges. During negotiations, there was coordination between the Bureau, the National Park Service, the Forest Service, and the Department of Justice.