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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 28, 2005 Logging projects in national forest bring split auction results By PARIS ACHEN Mail Tribune One of the two timber sales on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest failed to attract bidders Wednesday in the forest’s first auction of the fiscal year. Mandatory helicopter logging, high fuel costs, small diameter trees and low timber volume could explain why there were no offers for the Beaver Newt logging project about 31 miles southeast of Jacksonville, U.S. Forest Service officials said. In contrast, the Middle Fork timber project about 10 miles east of Prospect attracted three bidders. Murphy Co., a 125-employee logging company headquartered in Sutherland, won the project with an $803,000 offer, 18 percent more than the required minimum bid. "Beaver Newt was smaller-diameter material, low volume per acre and a lot of helicopter logging," said John Fertig, a forester with the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. "It had all of the factors to make a higher-cost, lower-volume project." The 544-acre project included about 2.6 million board feet. About 316 acres of the project was mandatory helicopter logging. Advertisement The Middle Fork project includes 3.7 million board feet of timber on 146 acres of tree plantations in a late-successional reserve. Under the Northwest Forest Plan definition, a late-successional reserve is generally trees 40 to 80 years old with certain characteristics, such as full canopy. "This is a thinning project, so we can achieve even bigger trees," said Joel King, Prospect district ranger for the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. "Bigger trees are more resistant to fire, insects and disease, someone can make a living off it, and it puts a roof over people’s heads." Work on the project is expected to start next summer, said Jon Beck, log procurement manager for Murphy. "Middle Fork is more conventional logging (than Beaver Newt)," Beck said. "It’s tractor and cable logging. The quality of the trees are better on Middle Fork, taller and better grade." The Forest Service’s fiscal year began Oct. 1. Twenty-seven timber sales on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest are planned for the year, ranging in size from 50,000 board feet to 8 million board feet. The majority are thinning and fuels management projects, Forest Service officials said. The forest exceeded its target timber volume last fiscal year, yielding nearly 46 million board feet or enough to build about 2,875 houses. The timber brought in revenue of nearly $6 million. Reach reporter Paris Achen at 776-4496 or e-mail Logging projects in national forest bring split auction results ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Cheap Website Hosting Discount Hotel Reservations Online Pharmacy Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Student Loans High End Computers Online Casino News Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Online Casino Fundraisers Advertisement s