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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 22, 2004 Timbered Rock fire salvage hit with legal roadblock By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune Two timber salvage sales planned for U.S. Bureau of Land Management forestland burned by the 2002 Timbered Rock fire, which sold on Monday, were challenged by a lawsuit filed Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Portland. The lawsuit was filed by the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center of Ashland and the Pacific Environmental Advocacy Center and Cascade Resource Advocacy Group, both of Portland. "These timber sales violate the most basic environmental protections on the books," said Susan Jane Brown, an attorney representing PEAC. "The BLM hopes to log big trees in a late- successional (old-growth) reserve, log near riparian areas and punch logging roads into watershed that serves as an important salmon fishery. The agency is creating a perfect storm of forest destruction." George Sexton, conservation director for KSWC, said the groups had hoped to avoid a lawsuit by discussing their concerns with the agency. "It was like talking to a brick wall," he said. "We intend to do everything we can to stop this reserve from getting logged." Advertisement It’s unknown what the impact of the lawsuit will have on the future of the sales. Agency officials weren’t available late Friday afternoon. However, they have said the salvage operations are consistent with both the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan and the district’s resource management plan. The Timbered Rock fire burned some 27,000 acres in the Elk Creek watershed, of which about 12,000 acres are in the BLM’s Medford District. The Smoked Gobbler sale, which includes 6.8 million board feet of timber, sold for the appraised price of $302,000 to Timber Products Co. The Glendale-based Swanson Group was the high bidder for the Flaming Rock sale, which contains 10.2 million board feet of timber. It sold for the appraised price of $964,000. 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