Stop Wild Forest Logging In Oregon

The Bush Forest Service is planning to log 6,300 acres of old-growth reserves in the wild Siskiyou National Forest as part of the so-called "Biscuit Fire Recovery Project." Old-growth reserves are special places normally protected from logging to provide a safety net of habitat for sensitive wildlife species. The logging sales mentioned above put many irreplaceable landscapes at risk. The Fiddler Mountain and Babyfoot Lake area, a beautiful place graced by native, unroaded forests, rare flowers, scenic views and wonderful hiking trails, is a prime example. It is also one of the areas most at risk of imminent logging. Near the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in southwestern Oregon's Siskiyou Wild Rivers area, Fiddler Mountain is loved by people locally and across the region. The Administration put Fiddler Mountain on the chopping block and sold it for a minimum, subsidized bid price. As a result, 14.7 million board feet of logging could take place across 697 acres of native forest at heavy taxpayer expense. As a whole, the Biscuit logging project is running far over budget, costing American taxpayers much more than the Forest Service originally forecast. The larger Biscuit logging project threatens to cost taxpayers between $10 and $30 million. In addition, the Forest Service is currently logging old-growth legacy trees on Squaw Mountain as part of the Briggs Cedar logging sale. The Forest Service has recently painted over orange "leave tree" markings on many of the largest trees in the area with blue "cut" paint. The agency is also logging in areas that serve as critical stream buffer areas. As a result, the Briggs Cedar logging sale suddenly includes much more old-growth legacy tree logging than when it was originally planned. Logging is proceeding despite wet weather conditions that may increase erosion and the threat of spreading the lethal Port-Orford-cedar root disease. Please take action now!

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Please Stop the Siskiyou Logging Project

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I urge you not to allow the logging of thousands of acres of roadless areas and old growth reserves in Oregon's Siskiyou National Forest.

The Siskiyou National Forest contains some of the most vibrant old growth stands in the country as well as some of the best wildlife habitat in the Pacific Northwest. Wild salmon and steelhead trout depend upon the forest's vast wild streams to survive.

Rushing to log this natural treasure ignores the vast majority of public opinion and the recommendations of the scientific community, while costing U.S. taxpayers millions of dollars and destroying some of the most valuable habitat in the nation. I urge you to abandon this plan and instead conserve and restore these wild areas for future generations to enjoy.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
February 15, 2005

Background Information

The Siskiyou National Forest Is Under Assault

The Bush Administration is moving ahead with the largest logging project in the modern history of our National Forests. Finalized in July 2004, the ill-named "Biscuit Fire Recovery Project" threatens to drive chainsaws into the heart of the proposed Siskiyou Wild Rivers National Conservation Area in southwestern Oregon. This extreme logging project calls for the cutting of 370 million board feet of sensitive fire-affected forest -- including 8,173 acres of Inventoried Roadless Forest and 6,305 acres of old-growth reserves. Adding insult to injury, this larger Biscuit timber sale could lose $30 million of taxpayer money at a time when budgets are tight for schools, economic aid and national security.

In 2002, a collection of natural, weather-driven fires known as the "Biscuit fire" burned in a mixed pattern within a 500,000 acre fire perimeter created by government agencies. According to Forest Service scientists, the Biscuit Fire burned in a mosaic pattern, burning some stands of trees, and leaving other areas intact while performing essential ecological functions in this fire dependant ecosystem.

Over time, fire-killed trees transform into legacy trees - what scientists call "snags." Legacy trees are critical for the health of Siskiyou forests. While standing, legacy trees provide habitat for a wide variety of animals, including birds and bears. When they eventually fall to the ground they restore and protect soils. When they fall in rivers and streams, they create pools and shelter critical for the renowned salmon and steelhead trout of the wild Siskiyou.

According to the Forest Service, ecological damage from the proposed logging could devastate 48,206 acres of roadless wildlands. Despite promises by the Bush administration to protect roadless areas such as these, the Forest Service is moving ahead with these projects. The first Biscuit roadless area logging sale, called "Mike's Gulch" is the also the first proposed logging of a roadless forest covered by the Roadless Rule in the nation. The Mike's Gulch logging scheme would saw into Oregon's largest unprotected roadless forest - the 105,000 acre South Kalmiopsis Roadless Area.

While 37 million board feet of logging has already taken place under the Biscuit logging plan, a gap in court schedules has created a huge new threat. Thousands of acres of old-growth reserves are at risk of imminent logging in the Siskiyou. The Forest Service is hastily preparing sites in a rush to log as many as seven logging sales before a scheduled court case in March 2005. Their goal is clear: to log old-growth reserves before a judge can decide whether the logging is illegal or not.

Photo of the Fiddler Mountain Logging Unit

Old-growth reserves are supposed to be set aside as a safety net for sensitive wildlife, plant species and natural processes. The Bush Forest Service is using fire as an excuse to log old-growth reserves in the Siskiyou, punching a hole in the reserve system first established by the Northwest Forest Plan more than ten years ago. Some of the areas proposed for logging include roadless forests not officially inventoried by the Forest Service. The Fiddler Mountain/Babyfoot Lake area, which is important for the local tourism economy, recreation, and is home to plants found nowhere else on earth, is first on the Forest Service old-growth reserve logging list.

The mismanagement of our National Forests through overzealous fire suppression has recently received a great deal of attention. Fire has been an important part of the ecology of the wild Siskiyou for thousands of years. The plants and animals that comprise the ecosystem have evolved along with, and depend, upon the regular occurrence of fire.

Just as the post fire forests of Yellowstone demonstrated Nature's remarkable resiliency, so too will the forests of the Wild Siskiyou -- but not if they are hauled off in logging trucks.

For additional information contact: Siskiyou Project 9335 Takilma Rd. Cave Junction, OR 97523 541.592.4459