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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 19, 2004 Groups air radio spotsto promote timber-sale alternative By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune Environmental groups plan to air radio advertisements in Western Oregon during the next two weeks to promote an alternative plan to a U.S. Forest Service proposal to salvage timber killed by the 2002 Biscuit fire. The ads, which will be heard on the top five stations in the Medford, Eugene and Portland markets, will focus on what is being called the "Siskiyou Restoration Plan," which supporters say would create more than 400 new jobs in Southern Oregon. The unusual tack of going to the commercial airwaves is an effort to reach an audience not usually approached by the groups. "We have a message worth communicating on a very controversial issue," said Don Smith, executive director of the Siskiyou Regional Education Project in the Illinois Valley. "The Forest Service seems inclined not to bend. We hope it will." Smith did not know how much was being spent on the advertisements. Advertisement "We’re trying to take a proactive position," he said. "We don’t want to be critical of the Forest Service. But we want them to consider an alternative." The agency has considered the restoration plan along with thousands of other comments, said Judy McHugh, spokeswoman for the Biscuit Fire Recovery Project. "We received their comments in January, along with approximately 23,000 other comments," she said, referring to the public comment period. "We analyzed every comment we received." A response to those comments will be in the decision contained in the final environmental impact statement on the Biscuit fire project, expected to be released by the end of the month, she said. "The decision will be in response to all the comments," she reiterated. The Forest Service’s preferred alternative calls for harvesting some 500 million board feet of fire-killed trees as well as employing restoration projects. Sparked by lightning, the Biscuit fire covered some half million acres, largely in the Siskiyou National Forest. Like most wildfires, the Biscuit fire burned in a mosaic pattern, scorching some areas while leaving others largely unburned. The Siskiyou Restoration Plan, which is also backed by the Eugene-based Pacific Rivers Council and Pacific Watershed Associates in Northern California, is an updated version which includes restoration projects and commercial logging, Smith said. "It’s a clarification of what we have proposed," he said, adding that it includes specific detail about job potential. Most of the jobs would involve restoration work on more than 500 miles of roads in areas of steep slopes vulnerable to landslides, he said. "At the same time there’s room for logging, which can be done in a way that minimizes risks to salmon, water quality and old-growth forests," he said. In the restoration plan, the salvage logging would stay out of roadless areas, old growth reserves, Wild and Scenic River corridors and sensitive botanical areas. "With logging, it’s crucial where and how extensive it is done," he said. "The exact volume is still up in the air, somewhere over 20 million board feet at the very least." The restoration plan would both create jobs while protecting the environment, he said, adding he believes the agency’s preferred alternative doesn’t accomplish those goals. "We have a train wreck ahead with this being challenged in court (if the preferred alternative is selected)," he said. "We would prefer that doesn’t happen." 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