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CLEAR Temp: 80 °F Wind: NNW at 4 mph Friday, May 23, 2003 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 May 14, 2003 Suit seeks to block harvest of big trees At issue is a proposed BLM timber sale west of the Applegate Valley By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune APPLEGATE — A group of Southern Oregon residents and environmental groups that filed a lawsuit challenging a U.S. Bureau of Land Management timber sale aren’t opposed to all logging, says one of the plaintiffs. "If they can get some product out, that’s fine," said Williams resident Lori Cooper, an attorney representing the Siskiyou Regional Education Project. "We just don’t want them to cut the big trees." The plaintiffs are against the Medford District’s plans to harvest some 5.5 million board feet of timber in the Ferris Bugman timber sale a few miles west of Applegate. The lawsuit was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Medford. Advertisement They believe the timber sale will remove old-growth and mature trees while increasing the fire risk over the next decade or two because "young tree plantations" are more susceptible to fire. The plaintiffs also are opposed to additional road construction in the area. But Ed Reilly, environmental resource planner with the district, countered that the plans call for reducing the potential for a catastrophic wildfire by removing the smaller trees. "Our approach is to thin from below," said Reilly, a 29-year resident of the Applegate Valley. "We generally retain the largest, healthiest trees when we do this." While some large trees will be cut, the preponderance would be the small trees, he said. The harvest would be similar to BLM timber sales in the valley since 1996 in which 75 percent of the trees harvested were smaller than 16 inches in diameter at chest height, he said. The proposed timber sale, which has yet to be placed on the auctioneer’s block for this year, calls for removing largely the weaker suppressed trees, he said. The limbs and tree tops would then be taken out by yarding or burned on site, he said. "There is no date set for when it will be offered for sale," he said. "It’s not scheduled to be logged this summer." The agency offered the sale for auction last fall but did not receive any bids. "We’re hoping it won’t sell this time, either," Cooper said. The sale is being portrayed as a fuels reduction project but in reality it is aimed at getting the volume out, the plaintiffs say. They believe it would violate federal environmental laws. "The plaintiffs want to see fuel reduction," Cooper said. "They are very concerned that their property (near the proposed sale) is at risk. They have been advocating for years to see fuels reduction projects." Michael Mayer, an attorney for plaintiff Earthjustice, said the fact that timber firms didn’t bid for the sale last fall indicates neither the industry nor local residents support the project. "(The) BLM needs to address problems created by decades of fire suppression," said activist Brenna Bell, a member of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, which joined the lawsuit. "But this is a sale that’s going to make the fire risk worse." Applegate area resident David Calahan, a local resident who sued to stop the sale, agreed. "I am not opposed to logging or thinning, either one," said Calahan, a retired firefighter who has lived in the area for 30 years. "But BLM has yet to really embrace the idea of taking the funds they were given and making a real effort at protecting both homes and the environment," he added. 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 © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times