Interior Secretary Salazar is stepping into the middle of one of the Northwest’s longest running environmental battles, logging the vast federal forests of Western Oregon.
Old growth forest on BLM land at Esmond Lake. Photo by Kristian Skybak. For more see flickr.com/kristiansven.
The challenge is this: how do you create a steady supply of timber for local economies without hurting those forests and the endangered species that live there? The two previous administrations have tried, and failed, to come up with logging plans that could win widespread support. Clinton’s Northwest Forest Plan was bitterly opposed by the timber industry. Bush’s WOPR was so badly flawed that the Obama administration decided it would be a waste of time to defend it in court.
Which brings us to today’s announcement.
First, Salazar says he’s moving forward with a one year plan to allow the logging of some 230 million board feet during 2010. He’s approved 46 timber sales and another 16 are still under consideration. Most of the sales involve thinning and restoration projects, the kind that are less likely to be controversial.
That’s not much of a change from what’s been happening the past few years. From 2005 to 2008, the Bureau of Land Management says it’s offered an average of 206 million board feet for logging each year. But the actual amount that was harvested is much less, about 150 million board feet.
So far, so good.
But the bigger challenge is coming up with a long term strategy for managing the 2.4 million acres of BLM forests in Western Oregon.
Salazar has ordered the BLM and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to work together on finding long term solutions. The two agencies will form a special task force that will report back to him by next spring. Getting these two agencies to cooperate is extremely important. Because while BLM has authority over the forests, Fish and Wildlife as well as other agencies, have a legal duty to protect the endangered species. Lack of cooperation is one of the big reasons the Bush WOPR logging plan was killed.
One sign that Salazar might be on the right track is that Senator Wyden and Congressman DeFazio attended today’s announcement and offered their support. Wyden called the plan, “good old fashioned common sense”, saying that bringing all the agencies together now the plan will save time and lead to healthier forests.
The reaction from the environmental community is not as enthusiastic. Oregon Wild has been following the logging dispute closely. Steve Pedery, the group’s Conservation Director, says “Increased cooperation between the BLM and Fish and Wildlife is a good start, but the bottom line is that the BLM must begin to place as much value on wild salmon, clean water and old-growth forests as they do on logging volume.”
Oregon Wild is also concerned because the Salazar plan for next year includes clear cut logging on about 1,000 acres of BLM land. ”The public rejected clear-cutting decades ago,” says Pedery. ”If the Obama administration wants to avoid conflict and controversy, they should rein-in BLM clear-cutting.”
