A view of Mt. Hood from Timothy Lake. Photo by K. Carpenter/U.S.G.S.
Off roaders are going to start seeing a lot of “closed” signs in the Mt. Hood National Forest.
A new Forest Service plan dramatically cuts back where off road vehicles are allowed. Environmental groups couldn’t be much happier.
Does this land need "liberating" from the federal government? Photo of the Umpqua National Forest from the U.S. Forest Service.
Apparently they do, according to Oregonians in Action. The property rights group says it will lobby the next Legislature to pass a law giving Oregon the power to condemn and seize federally owned land in the state.
That includes 15 National Forests and Monuments, a National Park, and millions of acres of land managed by the BLM. About 55% of the state is federal land, according to OIA.
A view of the Calapooya Mountains in the Umpqua National Forest. Photo from U.S. Forest Service.
If you’re not happy with what’s going on in our National Forests, then this is the year to do something about it.
The Obama Administration is working on a new planning rule that will guide the future of all 155 National Forests and Grasslands across the country. What’s at stake? Big issues such as logging, mining, old growth, stream and river quality, wildlife and recreation.
On Tuesday, the Forest Service holds a series of public meetings in Portland to hear from Oregonians.
A view of Mt. Hood from Lolo Pass Road. Photo by Dennis Newman.
The Mt. Hood National Forest is giving itself more time to make a huge decision that will affect just about everyone who uses the forest.
It’s going to spend the spring and summer doing additional environmental studies before making a final ruling on where to allow off road vehicles.
That ruling was expected by today, but now it’s being put off until August.
The Oregon Sierra Club says it won’t support Senator Wyden’s logging bill for Eastern Oregon.
The group had been withholding judgement ever since the deal was announced almost two months ago. But now, the group’s Conservation Director Ivan Maluski tells me that without some changes, the Sierra Club will oppose the measure.
His critique of the logging bill is, in many ways, similar to concerns raised by the Obama Adminstration.
A view of Steins Pillar in the Ochoco National Forest. Photo from BLM.
Long time adversaries in Oregon’s timber wars told the Senate today they’re ready to make peace, at least in Eastern Oregon.
The setting was a hearing on the Eastern Oregon Logging bill sponsored by Senator Wyden. Based on a historic compromise between timber and conservation groups, the bill hopes to revive the region’s logging industry while at the same time protecting old growth trees and restoring forests.
But despite the talk of peace and collaboration, it’s clear there are still some hard feelings out there.
About the only thing all the witnesses agreed on is that Eastern Oregon’s forests are in deep trouble and need help.
See streaming video of hearing at this link.
1:29pm: Kerr admits the conservation community is split over the bill. Many groups still believe in preserving forests from development because that activity has been harmful in the past. More are recognizing that restoring forests are now what’s needed.
1:05pm Not a fan of the bill, Larry Blasing of the Grant County Forest Commission. Calls it a bureaucratic nightmare that doesn’t address the need for jobs and the economy.
12:48pm: John Shelk of Ochoco Lumber. The bill is an “agreeable compromise” that protects forests and the Eastern Oregon tax base. Nearly two dozen mills have closed. Eight are remaining. How much longer than can survive depends on a steady supply of logs from federal forests.
12:42pm: Oregon witnesses are up. Andy Kerr of Oregon Wild says, “It’s not a perfect bill, but it is nonetheless a great bill.”
A Whitebark Pine in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Photo by Dave Powell, U.S. Forest Service
Tomorrow, the Senate gets its first look at a compromise logging bill for Eastern Oregon.
Ideally, the bill is supposed to end years of timber wars. No more logging for the sake of logging. Instead, timber harvests happen as part of a greater effort to restore forests. Old growth trees are off limits. But Eastern Oregon lumber mills get a steady supply of smaller trees to help them stay in business.
The compromise came after 18-months of negotiations between Oregon environmental and timber groups. Senator Wyden, who helped organize the talks is sponsoring the bill and Senator Merkley has joined him.
A Whitebark Pine in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Photo by Dave Powell, U.S. Forest Service
Senator Wyden’s logging bill for Eastern Oregon forests picked up the support of Senator Merkley today.
Merkley’s office issued a press release saying he’ll co-sponsor the bill, officially known as the Oregon Forest Restoration and Old Growth Protection Act of 2009. It has a first hearing March 10 with the Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests.
The bill has divided Oregon’s environmental community.
A view of the Calapooya Mountains in the Umpqua National Forest. Photo from U.S. Forest Service.
We all know there’s something special about Oregon’s forests.
A new study by the Wilderness Society says if you’re looking for a place to store carbon, Oregon forests are the best in the nation.
Using Forest Service data, the Society says the top ten best forests for storing carbon are all in the Pacific Northwest. Six of them in Oregon, three of them are in Washington and one is in Alaska.
