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--> --> Logging in Watershed challenged By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings A local environmental activist and an environmental group are appealing a portion of Ashland District Ranger Linda Duffy's plan to reduce wildfire risk in the hills above Ashland. Eric Navickas and the Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center, which has offices in Ashland and Williams, are opposed to the piece of the plan that calls for mechanical logging on about 145 acres in the Ashland Watershed and adjacent Hamilton Creek Watershed. Appeals must be filed with the Pacific Northwest Regional Forester in Portland by July 15. An appellant whose appeal is denied can file a court lawsuit. Of the total 1,549 acres planned for initial treatment, about 145 acres are slated for mechanical logging, according to Duffy's Record of Decision, released in late May. The plan also calls for hand-cutting, piling and burning vegetation and prescribed burns. "This appeal does not seek to radically alter the project," said Jay Lininger of the Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center, which has successfully blocked logging through litigation. "It only seeks to fine tune an otherwise excellent decision. This appeal and that of Navickas would not in any way affect the project implementation as planned." According to Regional Forest office legal staff, the appeals of the mechanical logging will not hold up other aspects of the plan, which are scheduled to start as soon as this summer. Mechanical logging is not scheduled until the spring of 2003 and the fall of 2004. Navickas said mechanical logging could lead to environmental damage, and other methods should be used to reduce wildfire risk. "I have been commenting on this project since early in the process and applaud the changes that have been made in the ROD," Navickas said in his appeal. "The remaining commercial units, however, need to be removed. Soils in the area are extremely sensitive. Simple foot traffic in many of the units has significant impact, logging is completely unacceptable." Duffy's decision, which included limits on the cutting of trees over a certain diameter, marked a major departure from a 1998 proposal to log trees of unlimited diameter on 452 acres and conduct other work. Navickas said the area slated for logging was thinned in the past, contributing to flood damage in 1997 when apartment complexes downslope along Hamilton Creek were inundated with sand. Lininger said his group also has concerns about logging on an area with a history of landslides. Additionally, the group opposes the removal of snags, which often are cut during logging to protect workers. The standing dead trees provide critical habitat for a number of species. Lininger also questioned the wisdom of removing trees that create a canopy and shade the forest floor, inhibiting the growth of flammable vegetation. Meanwhile, Tom Dimitre, chair of the Rogue Group Sierra Club, said the group will not file an appeal of Duffy's decision. "We're not going to appeal it. The Sierra Club has a policy of no commercial logging (on public lands)," Dimitre said. "We're definitely concerned, but there's no question the final product is much, much better." JoAnne Eggers, a board of directors member for Headwaters, another Ashland-based environmental group, said the board felt its concerns were addressed in Duffy's final decision. Duffy could not be reached for comment about the appeals. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing