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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 25, 2005 The logged area right of the dirt road is part of the protected botanical area, which has been recovering from the 2002 Biscuit fire.Photo submitted by Barbara Ullian, The Siskiyou Project Loggers cut down protected trees By PARIS ACHEN Mail Tribune About 10 to 17 acres of the federally-protected Babyfoot Lake Botanical Area were mistakenly logged between March and August, U.S. Forest Service officials said Wednesday. The botanical area was included in part of the Fiddler fire salvage timber sale area about six miles northwest of Galice, after Forest Service personnel incorrectly marked the timber project’s boundaries, officials said. "We regret this happened," said Patty Burel, spokeswoman for the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. "It was never our intention or an administrative decision to log the Babyfoot Lake Botanical Area." The 353-acre botanical haven was established in 1963 to protect Brewer spruce trees, unique to southwest Oregon and northwest California, and other rare plant species. About 144 acres of the botanical area are in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. Officials said the timber sale layout crew was either unaware that Forest Service officials intended to exclude the botanical area from the sale or did not know the topographical boundaries of the botanical area. Advertisement Timber sale layout crews "typically follow topographical features," Burel said. "In this case, they didn’t." Burel said privacy rules prevent her from discussing any possible disciplinary actions against Forest Service employees. The mistake happened before the 700-acre sale was auctioned and did not involve Merlin-based Silver Creek Timber Co., which bought the timber, burned in the 2002 Biscuit fire, Burel said. Barbara Ullian, conservation director for the Siskiyou Project, a Cave Junction-based group that seeks to protect areas in the Siskiyou Mountains, saw stumps in the botanical area Aug. 4 during a tour of the sale. "It was essentially clearcut; there were a few green snags," Ullian said. "I was sick to my stomach." Ullian said she then notified the Forest Service. The Forest Service confirmed Monday that it had made an error. The public could not enter the Fiddler sale until Aug. 1 because the Forest Service had closed Eight Dollar Road, the only entryway to the sale, during logging activities after protesters left a disabled car across the road. Ullian said the mistake shocked her because the boundaries of the botanical area are clearly marked by a ridge and Forest Service Road 4201-864. "I’m not an expert," Ullian said. "If I can go out and have the suspicion that the botanical area has been logged, it’s pretty amazing that the professionals who laid out the timber sale were totally clueless." It is unknown whether any fire-killed Brewer spruce trees were harvested during logging, which ended Aug. 1, Burel said. But Ullian said she found dead Brewer spruce seedlings in a pile of timber debris. "Since the area was burned, the seedlings are critically important to regeneration," Ullian said. "They contain the genetic code of a species that has existed since before the Ice Age whose range has been reduced dramatically over time." The rare conifer is found in the western Siskiyou Mountains in Oregon and California and the Marble, Salmon and Trinity mountains in California, according to the Forest Service. The agency plans to do a restoration project in the botanical area that could include replanting Brewer spruce seedlings, removing a landing built for logging and cleaning up a pile of timber debris, Burel said. "I’m hoping we’re part of that process," Ullian said. "The logging in the botanical area is a really good example of why public scrutiny and public oversight of agencies and strict adherence to the National Environmental Policy Act are so important." The act requires agencies to provide the public with detailed information about actions proposed on public lands. Reach reporter Paris Achen at 776-4496 or e-mail Loggers cut down protected trees ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztechmedia Website Hosting Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Advertisement s