If you care about Oregon’s public forests, this one needs your attention today.
The U.S. Forest Service is fast-tracking a massive commercial logging operation across a 10,080-acre swath of the Deschutes National Forest just north of Sisters, following the Akawa Butte Fire this summer. Nearly half of that project area, 4,928 acres, is slated for timber harvest totaling roughly 12 million board feet. The proposal includes 3,587 acres of commercial salvage logging, another 1,341 acres of roadside logging along 36.8 miles of roads, more than three miles of temporary road, and year-round logging with tracked mechanical harvesters.
The public has been given less than a quarter of the typical time to weigh in and the Forest Service’s explanation for the rush is that the burned timber is losing value.
Sisters District Ranger Ian Reid told residents at a September 14 public meeting that the Forest Service needs to move quickly so salvaged trees retain their economic value.
Put plainly, we’re put…
