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CLEAR Temp: 39 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Saturday, October 12, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 27, 2002 Police in riot gear guard the entrance of the Bureau of Land Management�s Medford District office as dozens of demonstrators protest five timber sales Thursday morning. Click the photo to see a larger (50k) version. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Timber goes for $3.4 million More than 60 protest the BLM auction, which may wind up in court By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune The Bureau of Land Management auctioned off some 25 million board feet of timber in its Medford District office Thursday morning while demonstrators gathered peacefully outside. The agency sold four of five timber sales for about $3.4 million. Between 60 and 70 protesters demonstrated their opposition to the sales while Medford police in riot gear looked on. "They (protesters) were all peaceful — they were taking the opportunity to express their concerns," said district spokeswoman Karen Gillespie. Environmental activists and many Applegate Valley residents are particularly concerned about the Scattered Apples sale in the Williams area and the Ferris Bugman sale in the Applegate Valley. They say the BLM is using the fear of wildfires as an excuse to provide commercial timber; the agency says the majority of the work involves commercial thinning to reduce the fire hazard. The Scattered Apples unit, including some 3.7 million board feet of timber, sold for the appraised price of $143,000 to the Swanson Group of Glendale, formerly Superior Lumber Co. However, the Ferris Bugman sale, including some 5.5 million board feet, did not sell. It may be offered again at a later date, Gillespie said. The Deer Lake sale in the Lake Creek drainage, which contains 10.2 million board feet, was bought by the Swanson Group for $1.7 million. It had been appraised at $1.6 million. The Swanson Group also purchased the Bear Pen sale northwest of Glendale for $1.2 million. Containing 6.1 million board feet of timber, it had been appraised at $693,000. Boise Corp. bought the Lower Big Butte sale in the Butte Falls area for $342,000. Appraised at $218,000, the sale contains about 5 million board feet. There were a dozen bidders at the oral auction, which lasted about an hour and a half. No trees will be cut on the sales this year, Gillespie said. "We need to sit down with the purchasers and finalize contracts before awarding them," she said. "There is also the possibility these sales may be appealed and litigated. They won’t be logging them before next year." There is a good chance those opposed to the sales will take the agency to court, said Williams resident Brenna Bell, one of the demonstrators and staff attorney for the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center. "We’ll definitely be looking at all the sales and assessing the legal claims," she said. "The BLM has a pattern of planning illegal timber sales. We will definitely check these out." The Scattered Apples timber sale is the most likely to be litigated, she added. About 20 protest letters, including one by the unincorporated Williams town council, already have been sent to the agency in opposition to that sale. Bell, who called the police in riot gear "excessive," said the five sales would result in clear-cutting more than 1,000 acres of mature and old-growth forests, building 10 miles of new roads and increase fire danger in the interface. But the agency said the goal of the sales is to improve forest health and reduce fire hazard while providing jobs. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S