Groups Challenge Timber Sales Near Crater Lake
Chris Thomas, News Director
Thursday, January 3, 2013
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - The clock is ticking for the U.S. Forest Service to respond to a legal challenge by two Oregon-based conservation groups to timber sales scheduled for the Umpqua National Forest, near Crater Lake National Park and some other popular recreation destinations including Diamond and Lemolo Lakes.
The standoff has been brewing since 2009, and public comments since then have prompted the Forest Service to reduce the size of the sale area. But the so-called "DBug" sale still contains 10 sections that could be harvested.
According to Francis Eatherington, Cascadia Wildlands conservation director, the Forest Service said a major bark beetle infestation within five years would kill most of the trees in the area.
"They predicted an unnatural influx of bark beetles, is why they said that they had to log the DBug timber sale. That has not happened. And 90 percent of the project area is not dead. As a matter of fact, it looks pretty darn good up there."
Eatherington says an earlier Forest Service decision had kept the same land off-limits to logging because of its recreational value, but the bark beetles were considered an emergency that would allow timber harvest.
Cascadia Wildlands and Oregon Wild are now threatening a lawsuit if the Forest Service moves ahead with the sale. The groups point out that the Crater Lake ecosystem doesn't stop at its official park boundaries.
Tommy Hough, communications and outreach associate for Oregon Wild, says to log the forests bordering the park can't help but compromise wildlife habitat along with the tourist and recreation experiences.
"In addition, a lot of these areas are categorized roadless areas, and they're very much ripe for wilderness consideration - and so, we don't want to see these areas being logged. Particularly, it's odd to see a lot of these proposed logging projects for DBug happening along the crest of the Cascades."
The groups are also concerned by agency estimates that about 20 spotted owls would be killed in the logging process. They filed a Notice of Intent to challenge the first sale, just before Christmas. The Forest Service has 60 days to respond.
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