Forest Service withdraws timber project decision near McKenzie River over old growth trees
Zach Urness of the Salem Statesman Journal reports:
“The U.S. Forest Service is taking another look at a controversial timber project near McKenzie Bridge in a move that could limit the cutting of mature and old-growth trees following pressure on the Biden administration.
Regional Forester Glenn Casamassa on Thursday withdrew the agency’s decision on the Flat Country Project, which proposed a mixture of logging and forest management on 4,500 acres of Willamette National Forest east of Eugene.
The withdrawal was sparked by a Biden administration directive to conserve old and mature forest as a way to keep carbon in trees as part of its fight against climate change.
“Environmental groups have long targeted the timber project mainly because of 800 to 1,000 acres of planned logging in mature forest“, said Nick Cady, legal director for Eugene-based Cascadia Wildlands.
“It’s one of those projects where half of it includes thinning out tree plantations, which makes a lot of sense and we have no problem with,” Cady said. “But the other part of the decision was logging ancient forest at the headwaters of the McKenzie River. We found big 8-foot diameter trees that would have been cut. We hope the Forest Service will drop their misguided plans to log that part of the forest.”
Forest Service officials said that a panel of experts reviewing the project found “that even though the project complied with the Northwest Forest Plan, some parts of it may be incongruent with recent directives and climate-related plans concerning conservation of mature and old-growth forests and carbon stewardship,” agency spokesman Jon McMillan said in an email.”
Why People were concerned with the original proposal:
Flat Country Timber Sale – Cascadia Wildlands
Why This Forest Is Special – The Flat Country timber sale is within the Willamette National Forest in an area that extends from Scott Mountain to the upper reaches of the McKenzie River. Moss-covered Douglas firs and western hemlocks grow to more than 200 feet tall and 5 to 6 feet wide. Delicate vine maple and Pacific rhododendron combine in the understory to make these forests as magical as they are important. Almost 20 years ago, the Forest Service largely stopped logging older forests in western Oregon and western Washington following massive public outcry over decades of clearcutting these incomparable cathedral forests. However, 1 million acres of mature and old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest are not protected from federal logging. The Flat Country project is set to destroy a large swath of these irreplaceable forests.
Flattening a Forest – Eugene Weekly by Henry Houston
The article features congressman Peter DeFazio, as well as Jerry Franklin and Norm Johnson, professors emeritus at University of Washington and Oregon State University, respectively, don’t agree with USFS’s justifications for the logging. Both were involved in developing the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan.
Mature and old-growth logging sale undermines Biden climate policy; threatens McKenzie River, habitat by Oregon Wild
Oregon Wild brings up 2 new issues that should halt, or drastically change the project.
1. New Biden policy “…combat the climate crisis to implement a Government-wide approach that reduces climate pollution in every sector of the economy; increases resilience to the impacts of climate change; protects public health; conserves our lands, waters, and biodiversity…”
2. On Labor Day 2020, several wildfires sparked in western Oregon, driven by high winds and temperatures, low humidity, drought conditions, and climate change. One of these fires, the Holiday Farm Fire, burned more than 231,000 acres or 27% of the McKenzie River Watershed to the west of the proposed Flat Country timber sale. Collectively, the Holiday Farm Fire and other Labor Day 2020 wildfires burned millions of acres of federal public lands and nonfederal lands, causing dramatic changes to forest and vegetation composition. The quality and arrangement of suitable wildlife habitat has changed significantly as a result of the Holiday Farm Fire and the other 2020 Labor Day Fires, requiring a reanalysis of the effects of the Flat Country timber sale.
Details from the Forest Service:
Press Release:
Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region to withdraw, reissue Flat Country Project Record of Decision
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Regional Forester for the Pacific Northwest Region of the Forest Service is withdrawing a Willamette National Forest January 2021 Record of Decision for the Flat Country Project on the McKenzie River Ranger District.
The decision is being withdrawn after a regional review by agency experts determined that the project warranted reconsideration. The withdrawal comes in the midst of a convening of an expert panel to provide the Forest Service advice and recommendations on the Northwest Forest Plan to promote sustainable, climate-adapted, wildfire-resilient landscapes; though a reissued Flat Country Record of Decision is expected before the Northwest Forest Plan Area Advisory Committee concludes its work.
The withdrawal of this decision will be followed by development and reissuance of a new decision for the Flat Country project, currently planned for early Spring 2023.
“The Flat Country project is important for forest health and to support jobs and economic development in the region’s rural communities. The appropriate way to advance the important goals of the Flat Country project is to reissue a new Record of Decision early next year and allow the project’s consensus portions to move forward and start delivering wood to local mills in short order,” said Glenn Casamassa, regional forester for the Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region.
Contact: Jon McMillan
jon.mcmillan@usda.gov
Source: USDA
Forest Service to withdraw, reissue Flat Country Project Record of Decision
Flat Country (project description) – Treatments include commercial thinning, shelterwood with reserves, fuels reduction treatments, meadow enhancement, and early seral creation through gaps. This will require temporary roads, road maintenance and road decommissioning.
Location Summary – The project area is located approximately 8 miles east of the community of McKenzie Bridge, Oregon. It is bound on the west by Highway 126, on the south by Highway 242 and Mt. Washington to the east.
District: McKenzie River Ranger District
Project Documents can be accessed on the Pinyon Public website: View Documents on Pinyon Public
MCP Editor’s Thoughts:
The Flat Country project is not far away in the forest, its right next to the McKenzie River. As residents, and community advocates, we desire to preserve the McKenzie River and trees surrounding old growth forests. We want healthy forests and support smart, scientifically proven management that helps to preserve the health of the McKenzie River, our surrounding forest and our community.
The McKenzie River community is not likely to get much of that “support jobs and economic development in the region’s rural communities”, yet we’ll have to live with the impact on our local forest.
“I appreciate the Forest Service stepping back to reevaluate this project with the impact of recent fires and updated US policies on climate change and forest management – Thank you!!”
Chris LaVoie – MCP Executive Director*
Update 1/2/23: We received a lot of comments on Facebook on the subject. A lot of people were worried that if we do not log it, we will have another big forest fire roll through our community soon. Others felt like it should all be logged no matter what – “after all, that’s what the trees are for”. We want to make clear that MCP supports thoughtful and responsible management of the forest to minimize fire dangers, to create a healthier forrest and harvest prudently with an eye to long term impacts – and not solely for short term cash (no matter who gets the cash).
MCP posts News articles to help keep the community informed – encouraging community members to engage on issues that are important to them. We encourage healthy and respectful conversation on issues to help educate and encourage the best outcomes.
At times, we may post an opinion by one of our staff, our executive director or board member – this should not be taken as an offial position by MCP unless specifically stated as such or is listed as one of our project items.