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67 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, September 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 21, 2004 Biscuit fire salvage pared down By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune The U.S. Forest Service’s final environmental impact statement likely will call for salvaging about 300 million board feet of fire-killed timber from the Biscuit fire area, according to a letter U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio sent to the Bush administration. That amount was cited in the letter sent Wednesday to Mark Rey, undersecretary of agriculture, in which DeFazio asked the agency to begin salvage operations immediately in "non-controversial sections." In the draft EIS released late last year, the Forest Service’s preferred alternative proposed salvaging 518 million board feet of timber killed by the half-million-acre 2002 fire, which largely burned in the Siskiyou National Forest. Although the agency has kept mum about its final decision, which is expected to be announced soon, officials say they expect the salvage amount to drop as much as 35 percent from the preferred target. "I understand that the FEIS will propose to log approximately 300 million board feet and enter roadless and other sensitive areas," wrote DeFazio, a Democrat representing Oregon’s 4th Congressional District. Advertisement DeFazio noted that he assumed the decision would include most of an alternative that focuses on restoring the landscape yet still harvests more than 130 million board feet of salvage while staying out of roadless areas. "I believe you can ensure that some needed salvage and restoration happens without further delay by making portions of the FEIS severable," he said. The salvage figure is not official but a "working number" being informally tossed around within the Bush administration, said Kristie Greco, spokeswoman for DeFazio. Although agency officials won’t talk about specific salvage numbers, they confirmed it will be a decrease from the preferred alternative of 518 million board feet. "I don’t know where DeFazio got that number," said Judy McHugh, spokeswoman for the Biscuit Fire Recovery Project. "We knew it was going down from 518, somewhere between 25 to 35 percent. But that was as clear as we got. We’re going to have to wait until it (the FEIS) comes out." The decision is expected to be released late next week, she said. Meanwhile, Dave Hill, executive vice president of the Southern Oregon Timber Industries Association, said the industry would accept that amount of salvage. "Sure, we’d like to see more," he said. "From the environmental perspective, I’m sure they’d like to see less. "But we (industry) are going to accept the decision and help the Forest Service move the forest restoration and salvage project forward," he said. He observed studies that have shown about 60 percent of the commercial timber would have no value three years after a fire, thanks to rot and bug infestation. "That (300 million) will probably be more than the Forest Service can efficiently process over this summer, but it’s almost past-due time to get the process started," he said. "The important point is we need to accept the decision of the Forest Service as the best for all parties involved," he added. "We need to live with the decision and not further delay the social, economical and environmental recovery to the Biscuit fire area." But Dominick DellaSala, director of the World Wildlife Fund’s Klamath-Siskiyou Regional Program, believes the 300 million-board-foot salvage won’t benefit humanity or the environment. "That would be extremely disappointing," he said. "It has nothing to do with the ecology or restoration. "Economically, it’s a lose-lose situation," he added, referring to a study released Thursday by the Taxpayers for Common Sense indicating that a 300-billion-board-foot salvage from the Biscuit fire would cost taxpayers $34 million. "One has to question why they are doing it," he said. "Why make the communities go back to the 1980s timber wars?" The agency should consider first how to protect biodiversity in the region as well as how to lower the wildfire threat to rural communities before deciding how much timber to log, he said. "They are asking the wrong questions," he said. Although noting that the World Wildlife Fund is not a litigious organization, DellaSala predicted such a decision by the agency would end up in court. "It’s going to be an ugly summer," he said. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities