Concerned community members attend Forest Service meeting to oppose the Westside proposal.
Westside Timber Sale Threatens Salmon and Wildlife
Over 12,000 concerned residents have submitted comments in opposition to a logging plan in Northern California that proposes to decimate protected old-growth reserves and recovering salmon-bearing watersheds.
The Klamath National Forest is proposing a massive plan to clearcut fragile post-fire forests. The Westside Project would authorize the logging of over 30,000 acres of forest that are currently protected by the Forest Plan. The Forest Service has requested permission to fast-track the project and limit public participation.
“It is disheartening that the Forest Service would attempt to bypass opportunities for public collaboration.” Said Morgan Lindsay of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center. “Rather than fast-track a heavy-handed logging outcome, the Forest Service should substantively collaborate with stakeholders to identify areas of agreement and priorities for treatment.”
“This region is one of the most biologically significant and ecologically rich areas in the country ” said Kimberly Baker of the Environmental Protection Information Center. “Our watersheds are worth far more than short-term monetary value. We would like to see the Forest Service work with affected river communities to develop a long term fire strategy that is best for wildlife, rivers and the people.”
“People from all walks of life are speaking up to oppose this project,” Said Laurel Sutherlin with the Rainforest Action Network. “Salvage logging should not be used a means to rush timber production at the expense of cultural, wildlife and watershed values.”
As proposed, the Forest Service would clearcut tens of thousands of acres located primarily in backcountry “Late Successional Reserves” that were established to protect wildlife habitat and accommodate wildfires. The timber sale will harm approximately 70 Northern spotted owl nesting sites and log on steep unstable “Geological Reserves” located in “Key Watersheds” for salmon recovery. The Forest Service plans acknowledge that the project would violate the Klamath National Forest’s own management plan.
At the very least, when the Forest Service does propose pot-fire logging, they must follow the law. This means that creeks should be protected with riparian reserves as required by the Forest Plan, and that yarding on steep granitic soils should be avoided when possible. Unfortunately, some timber planners see fire as an opportunity to throw the rulebook out the window.
Over 12,000 comments from concerned Americans around the country have been submitted to the Klamath National Forest asking the Forest Service to protect, rather than log, the old-growth reserves and fragile watersheds in the Klamath Mountains.
The public comment period on the draft environmental impact statement closed on April 27, 2015.