Document text
84 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, August 4, 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 Prime Times 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 July 7, 2004 Forest Service delays release of fire salvage project records By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune The records of decision for the controversial Biscuit fire salvage timber sales in the Siskiyou National Forest won’t be released today as previously announced by the U.S. Forest Service. Citing the complexity of completing the documents, Tom Lavagnino, spokesman for the Biscuit fire salvage project, said they will be released soon. Once the records are signed and released by Scott Conroy, supervisor of the Siskiyou and Rogue River forests, the sales named in the decisions will be available for purchase. "There is lots of interest," Lavagnino said of potential bidders for the fire-killed timber. "We’re doing them (sales) in a couple of phases." That will give a variety of timber firms an opportunity to vie for the timber, he said. Advertisement The first 11 timber sales in the project have been granted an emergency exemption, meaning they will be available to log as soon as the unit is sold. However, the exemption does not prevent litigation, officials said. To decrease the chances that anticipated lawsuits from environmentalists will stop the logging this summer and fall, officials have divided the decisions into three parts. If they aren’t stopped by lawsuits, about 100 million board feet could be harvested in the next few months, officials estimated. The selected alternative in the agency’s final environmental impact statement for the project calls for salvaging 370 million board feet of fire-killed timber on about 19,400 acres. The proposal would provide wood to build 24,000 moderately sized homes, creating up to 6,900 jobs and generating up to $240 million in income, according to the agency. In addition to the salvage, the agency has also proposed to increase the 180,000-acre Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area in the Siskiyou forest by 64,000 acres. However, any wilderness creation would require an act of Congress. Meanwhile, Lavagnino said Tuesday’s environmental rally across the street from the forest headquarters didn’t disrupt business. "They were very peaceful," he said. 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 RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times