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Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Local Issues Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage Hot Topics Most Viewed Forum Photo Galleries Video Readers Polls O-Zone Online Games Movie Preview Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad June 15, 2005 Trees in wilderness area mistakenly felled By Robert Plain Ashland Daily Tidings At least 17 trees were unlawfully cut down in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area last July as a result of negligence on the part of both the U.S. Forest Service and Silver Creek Timber Company, representatives of both parties said yesterday. On July 1, cutters working for John West, the proprietor of Silver Creek Timber, cut between 16 and 20 trees inside the wilderness boundaries of the Kalmiopsis area. Pam Bode, Forest Service district manager for the Illinois River Valley area, said the cutting happened as a result of the wilderness area not being properly delineated. As a result, when her staff went to the area to mark trees slated to be cut for the Bald Bear timber sale, they accidentally marked trees that were within the wilderness area. “It was a terrible mistake,” said Bode. “It was one of the darkest days of my career. I feel terrible that this happened on my watch. I hold myself personally responsible and deeply regret what happened. The wilderness character has been damaged.” West, who was fined $1,304.75 for the illegal cutting, said he too regretted that it happened. He said he was aware that there were some trees incorrectly marked inside the wilderness and apprised most of his staff not to cut in this area. However, one cutter, said West, was out sick when he made the announcement and that employee cut several trees in the Kalmiopsis borders when he returned to work. That cutter no longer works for Silver Creek, West said. “I take this very seriously,” he said. “We surely don’t need to have law enforcement problems. I think wilderness should be protected.” West said his fine reflected three times what he could have profited from selling the trees that were cut. He said the Forest Service should have known better where the wilderness area was in relation to the timber sale. “Maybe the Forest Service should have had someone survey where the wilderness area was but that’s not my call to make,” he said. “This is the forest service’s job to make sure this kind of stuff doesn’t happen.” Joseph Vaile, of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, said that such a catastrophe happened proves that the forest service is not taking the proper time to evaluate the timber it is selling off. “This shows the carelessness of both the forest service and the timber contractor when trees get cut in a designated wilderness area,” Vaile said. “Who knows what other values will be lost by their moving so quickly. Wilderness areas one place where nature is left to take its course.” The Kalmiopsis Wilderness is 180,000-acre area east of Selma. It is noted for its wide diversity of plant species and its array of different habitats. The Kalmiopsis was one of the first designated wilderness areas in the nation. Staff writer Robert Plain can be reached at 482-3456 x 3040 or [email protected]. --> Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.