Ancient forests adjacent to the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness are slated for destruction in a proposed logging sale that threatens rare and sensitive plants, fish and wildlife, as well as soils, water quality and scenic views.

The "Divide Auger Timber Sale" would log more than 6 million board feet (MMBF) in the headwaters of the Thomes Creek watershed in the Mendocino National Forest, an area that has already been significantly impacted by past logging, road construction, grazing, and off-highway vehicle abuse. The logging units are located at the far-eastern edge of the range of many species, and with limited amounts of older forest habitat available, it is absolutely critical that ancient forests in the area be protected and restored. However, the Forest Service maintains they can further fragment and destroy some of the last ancient forest in the area without negatively impacting these species.

The Forest Service announced they are revising the Environmental Assessment (EA) on the proposed logging sale to better address concerns raised by EPIC and others in comments on the first EA, and will be releasing it for another 30-day public comment period sometime this summer. To receive a copy of the EA when it is available for comment, contact
Janet Flanagan
Mendocino National Forest
825 N. Humboldt Ave
Willow, CA 95988
(530) 934-3316