Author: Arran Robertson

« Back to Blog

ANALYSIS: Northwest Forest Plan Changes Would Slash Environmental Protections, Double Logging Levels

|Arran Robertson|Climate, Forests, Logging, Old-Growth, Public Lands

Project will destroy habitat and increase fire hazard

Contact:    
Steve Pedery, Conservation Director, Oregon Wild
John Persell, Staff Attorney, Oregon Wild
Ryan Talbott, Pacific Northwest Conservation Associate, WildEarth Guardians

Portland, OR – On November 15th the Forest Service released a draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) proposing sweeping amendments to the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP). The proposed changes could double – and potentially even triple – logging levels across Pacific Northwest National Forests, remove protections for mature and old-growth forests, and diminish the plan’s foundational focus on wildlife and habitat conservation. 

Conservation groups Oregon Wild, Bird Alliance of Oregon, Cascadia Wildlands, and WildEarth Guardians have developed an analysis of the proposal focusing on the Forest Service’s “Proposed Action.”

“For nearly 30 years, the Northwest Forest Plan has safeguarded our region’s iconic old-growth forests, clean water, and wildlife,” said Steve Pedery, Conservation Director for Oregon Wild. “The Forest Service’s proposed changes threaten to reverse decades of progress at a time when these protections are more critical than ever.”

“The Forest Service recently announced plans to substantially increase logging levels nationwide and the proposed changes to the Northwest Forest Plan are an unfortunate part of that misguided plan,” said Ryan Talbott, Pacific Northwest Conservation Advocate for WildEarth Guardians. “Weakening habitat and species protections in exchange for short-sighted increases in timber production targets is what led to the need for the Northwest Forest Plan in the first place. We should learn from that history, not repeat it.”

NWFP Amendment DEIS Initial Analysis 12-3-24Download

Background: A Conservation Landmark at Risk

Adopted in 1994, the NWFP was a groundbreaking response to unsustainable logging practices that decimated old-growth forests and triggered Endangered Species Act (ESA) listings for species like the coho salmon and northern spotted owl. The plan prioritized ecosystem recovery, emphasizing protections for mature (80+ years old) and old-growth forests.

Since its inception, the NWFP has successfully halted large-scale old-growth clearcutting, promoted wildlife recovery, and turned public forests into vital carbon sinks, offsetting climate change. For 30 years, forests, recreation areas, and rivers and streams that provide millions of Northwest residents with clean drinking water supplies have been protected from commercial logging under the plan, including beloved areas in the Willamette, Mount Hood, Olympic, and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forests.

Now, under the DEIS, the Forest Service has introduced four alternatives, including a Proposed Action (Alternative B), which would:

  • Redefine “mature” and “old-growth” forests by raising the age class of what qualifies for protection,  weakening protections for trees up to 120 years old, and providing broad exceptions for logging in centuries-old forests.
  • Increase aggressive logging on non-reserve lands
  • Allow logging in Late-Successional Reserves (LSRs)—a cornerstone of the NWFP—for purposes beyond old-growth restoration.
  • Expand logging in dry forests, targeting over 964,000 acres in just 15 years. This proposed aggressive logging in older, fire-resistant forests are likely to increase the frequency and severity of wildfires in the coming decades.

“Under these changes, hundreds of thousands of acres of mature and old-growth forests would be opened to logging, undermining their ecological and climate benefits,” said John Persell, Staff Attorney with Oregon Wild.

Concerning Increase in Logging

The DEIS projects that timber harvests under Alternatives B and D could exceed one billion board feet annually, more than doubling 2023 logging levels and tripling the most recent 10-year average. These vastly expanded logging levels would occur on fewer acres than initially covered by the 1994 NWFP, magnifying ecological damage and habitat loss.

“The Forest Service seems more focused on boosting timber quotas than on upholding its legal obligation to protect salmon and wildlife, mature and old-growth forests, and clean water,” said Persell.

Encouraging Steps on Tribal Inclusion

Conservation groups applaud positive proposals in the DEIS, particularly efforts to better engage with Native American Tribes through consultation, co-stewardship agreements, and the integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge and prescribed fire into Forest Service management practices. Provisions to restore culturally significant species such as camas, huckleberries, and beargrass are a step in the right direction.

“These steps toward meaningful Tribal engagement and co-stewardship are commendable and long overdue,” said Pedery. “It is frustrating that the Forest Service has paired these potential improvements with the agency’s plans to weaken protections for wildlife and mature and old-growth forest habitat embedded in the same plan.”

A Call for Public Scrutiny

The Forest Service’s timeline ensures the final decision will be made after the next Presidential administration takes office, raising concerns that the Forest Service proposal, which already contains significant weakening of environmental protections under the NWFP, could be eroded even further.

“Oregonians and all Americans who care about wildlife, clean water, and climate resilience should be deeply concerned,” said Pedery. “Over the coming year, it will be more important than ever to rally vocal support for the protection of mature and old-growth forests and expose the cynicism and recklessness embedded in this Forest Service proposal.”

Photo Credits: David Herasimtschuk. The Siuslaw National Forest.

« Back to Blog

Conservation Groups Challenge BLM SW Oregon Old-Growth Logging Sale

|Arran Robertson|Climate, Forests, Logging, Old-Growth, Public Lands

Project will destroy habitat and increase fire hazard

Contact:    
George Sexton, Conservation Director KS Wild
John Persell, Staff Attorney, Oregon Wild
Nick Cady, Legal Director, Cascadia Wildlands

Medford, Oregon — Today forest conservation organizations filed a legal challenge in Medford federal district court challenging the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) latest old-growth timber sale located in the Cascade foothills east of the community of Sunny Valley, Oregon.

The aptly named “Last Chance” timber sale targets old-growth forests for logging on BLM lands known as Late Successional Reserves, Riparian Reserves, and the Harvest Land Base. Most of the timber sale units would remove the old-growth forest canopy down to less than 30% effectively destroying the existing wildlife habitat while increasing fire hazard throughout the project area.

“The Medford BLM does not care about wildlife, wildfires or watersheds,” said George Sexton, Conservation Director for KS Wild. “They care about only one thing and that is meeting their arbitrary old-growth logging timber targets.”

The Last Chance timber sale authorizes 8,420 acres of logging activities including 1,297 acres of streamside logging in riparian reserves, and the construction of 28 miles of new logging roads.

“Most Oregonians believe that these remaining old-growth forests are worth more standing,” said John Persell, Oregon Wild Staff Attorney. “They are fire-resilient, they are soaking up carbon, and they represent our irreplaceable natural heritage.”

While the Medford BLM’s neighbors in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest have largely moved away from old-growth logging and towards small-diameter fuels reduction, the BLM remains mired in controversy and contention.

“It’s time for the Medford BLM to work with conservation groups to reduce rather than increase fire hazard,” said Nick Cady, Cascadia Wildlands Legal Director. “The BLM’s relentless old-growth logging agenda isn’t doing its neighbors any favors.”

KS Wild, Cascadia Wildlands, and Oregon Wild are represented by Meriel Darzen and Oliver Stiefel of the Crag Law Center.

 ###

Background: On September 19, 2024, Oregon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands, and Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, along with 40 other organizations, sent a letter to the BLM asking that the agency issue guidance on mature and old-growth logging. 

Photo by KS Wild

« Back to Blog

Honoring Bob Sallinger, Conservation Champion

|Arran Robertson|Old-Growth, Oregon Wild, Public Lands, State Forests, Wildlife

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Bob Sallinger, a cherished colleague, dear friend, and an unparalleled advocate for the conservation of Oregon’s wildlife and wild places.

Bob’s dedication leaves a lasting mark on the diverse landscapes of Oregon, from the sweeping Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, where greater sandhill cranes find sanctuary, to the ancient old-growth forests that shelter spotted owls and marbled murrelets, and the coastal dunes where snowy plovers once again dart across the sand.

To live in Oregon during Bob’s lifetime was to know there was a relentless champion fighting for the places that sustain both people and nature. His legacy will endure, and we remain deeply grateful for the inspiration he provided.

“It was an honor to call Bob a friend,” said Steve Pedery, Oregon Wild’s Conservation Director. “His grace and good humor made him a delight to be around, and no one will ever match the passion, energy, and tenacity he brought to his advocacy for the wildlife, habitat, and public lands of Oregon. I believe the best way to honor Bob is by carrying on his work to protect the birds, wetlands, and forests he loved so dearly.”

« Back to Blog

Conservation Groups Challenge Old-Growth Logging in Oregon Coast Range

|Arran Robertson|Climate, Forests, Logging, Old-Growth, Public Lands
The Blue and Gold BLM logging project - photo by Cascadia Wildlands

Former Agency Personnel Allege Feds Misrepresented Forest Age, Avoided Imperiled Wildlife Detection

Contact:    
Nick Cady, Legal Director, Cascadia Wildlands (314) 482-3746 | nick@cascwild.org                 
Meriel Darzen, Staff Attorney, Crag Law Center (503) 525-2725 | meriel@crag.org
John Persell, Staff Attorney, Oregon Wild (541) 344-0675 | jp@oregonwild.org

Oakland, Oregon — Today Cascadia Wildlands and Oregon Wild filed a legal complaint challenging the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Blue and Gold logging project. The project proposes clearcutting old-growth forests in the Oregon Coast Range outside of Sutherlin, Oakland, and Yoncalla in the Umpqua River watershed. Ring counts of individual trees in the areas proposed to be logged indicate that some of the trees are over 1,000 years old. 

“We will not allow the destruction of the few older forest stands that remain in the Coast Range for the profit of private timber companies,” said Nick Cady with Cascadia Wildlands. “The Bureau of Land Management is putting Oregonians at increased risk of forest fires, jeopardizing water quality, and further imperiling at-risk species.” 

Current science shows older forests are far more resilient to wildfire than plantations and are key to mitigating the worst impacts of climate change. The Blue and Gold Project targets thousands of acres of some of the oldest and most pristine forest remaining on public lands, including several hundred acres of old forests along rivers and creeks. These are multi-century-old,  high-quality habitat for federally protected wildlife species, including northern spotted owls, marbled murrelets, and Oregon Coast coho salmon. The proposed logging would permanently degrade these rare older forests and convert them into timber plantations, destroying what little old-growth habitat remains for endangered species, increasing fire risk, and undermining climate resilience.  

The Bureau of Land Management is not legally permitted to log old-growth, and the targeting of this cherished area fomented dissent within the agency. Two former agency personnel who worked on the Blue and Gold Project have come forward, stating that the agency intentionally misrepresented the age of the targeted forests to permit the proposed logging. The individuals also informed Cascadia Wildlands that the agency’s wildlife surveys were conducted in a manner to avoid detections of imperiled species that would have prevented the timber sale. Agency biologists who generally ensure projects do not illegally harm endangered species were removed from oversight roles to expedite the proposed logging. 

“It should surprise no one that BLM has been manipulating its analysis to maximize logging. Courts have repeatedly exposed the agency’s disregard for the public interest in its pursuit of board feet,” said Oregon Wild staff attorney John Persell. “The mature and old-growth forests targeted for logging in the Blue and Gold project should instead be protected for the critical role they play in fighting climate change and protecting vulnerable fish and wildlife.”

The organizations are represented by attorneys from the Crag Law Center, Oregon Wild, and Cascadia Wildlands. Photo by Cascadia Wildlands.

 ###

Background: The agency first proposed the Blue and Gold Project in December of 2019, releasing its Environmental Assessment on April 27, 2022, just five days after President Biden issued Executive Order 14072, directing federal agencies to protect remaining old-growth forests. Two days later, the agency pulled the proposal, citing a need for internal review. On August 1, 2024, the agency revived the project without significant changes, failing to follow the President’s direction to expand “bold efforts to tackle the climate crisis.” At each stage, the agency received hundreds of public comments opposing the project. 

On September 19, 2024, Oregon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands, and Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, along with 40 other organizations, sent a letter to the BLM asking that the agency issue guidance on mature and old-growth logging. 

« Back to Blog

1 million comments support old-growth protections on national forests

|Arran Robertson|Climate, Forests, Logging, Old-Growth, Public Lands
Flat Country Timber Sale by David Herasimtschuk

Contact for more information

Randi Spivak, Center for Biological Diversity 
Jackson Chiappinelli, Earthjustice 
Ellen Montgomery, Environment America Public Lands Campaign Director
Steve Pedery, Oregon Wild 
John Coleman, Speak For The Trees Too 
Ian Brickey, Sierra Club
Zack Porter, Standing Trees Executive Director
Adam Rissien, WildEarth Guardians Rewilding Manager

WASHINGTON— The U.S. Forest Service has received more than 1 million comments over four comment periods urging it to protect mature and old-growth trees and forests from logging. A 90-day public comment period on the agency’s  National Old Growth Amendment Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) ended Friday. 

Federal and state elected officials, faith groups and faith leaders, businesses, scientists, and people across the nation submitted hundreds of thousands of comments during the most recent comment period – most demanding the agency correct the numerous failures within the Forest Service’s proposed amendment.

The Forest Service’s proposed National Old Growth Amendment comes in response to a 2022 Executive Order that directed the Forest Service to develop policies protecting mature and old-growth forests in U.S. national forests, recognizing their significant benefits to mitigate the climate and biodiversity crises. It will be the first national policy to amend 122 plans for nearly all the country’s national forests, from Vermont to California. 

Members of the Climate Forests Campaign, including Center for Biological Diversity, Environment America Research & Policy Center, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Earthjustice, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Oregon Wild, Sierra Club, Speak For The Trees Too, Standing Trees, Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN), WildEarth Guardians and Yaak Valley Forest Council, issued the following statement: 

Since 2022, hundreds of thousands of people have called for an end to logging old-growth and urged that our mature forests also be protected. The Forest Service should listen to the public and finalize policies that truly safeguard our oldest forests.

As the Forest Service reads the comments it has received over the last 90 days, it will find a common theme. The old-growth policy proposed in June fails to meet the central mission of the executive order –it does not protect old-growth trees from logging and allows projects that would log old growth forests out of existence through numerous loopholes.

The National Old Growth Amendment should be a transformative policy that positions the United States as an international leader in harnessing nature to confront the climate emergency and the biodiversity crisis. We hope to see the nationwide old-growth amendment strengthened so it can become a centerpiece of our nation’s climate and conservation legacies.

Background

Mature and old-growth forests are carbon storage powerhouses. With thicker protective bark and higher canopies, mature and old-growth trees are more resilient to wildfire. They also provide critical wildlife habitat, filter clean drinking water for communities, provide countless outdoor recreation opportunities, and capture the imaginations of Americans young and old.

Federal forest management prioritizes timber production and routinely sidesteps science to turn big, old trees into lumber and wood chips. Logging releases a significant amount of stored carbon, which can take centuries to recover. It also eliminates older trees’ ability to sequester additional carbon, and damages the other ecosystem services and biodiversity values these forests provide. Many older stands and trees have no enduring protection, and hundreds of thousands of acres in national forests are at risk of being logged. 

« Back to Blog

Court Protects Old-Growth Reserves from Fed’s Logging Scheme

|Arran Robertson|Logging, Old-Growth

Medford, Oregon

Contact for more information

George Sexton, Conservation Director, KS Wild
Nick Cady, Legal Director, Cascadia Wildlands
Doug Heiken, Conservation and Restoration Coordinator, Oregon Wild
Meriel Darzen, Staff Attorney, Crag Law Center

In response to a challenge brought by conservation organizations, on Friday a federal district court found that the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) violated the law with its “Integrated Vegetation Management” (IVM) program, which proposed aggressive logging in forest areas set aside for forest conservation.

The IVM project proposed logging in the Late Successional Reserves (LSR), areas endowed with the purpose of habitat protection.  The Court found that the heavier commercial logging prescriptions contemplated in these reserved areas could result in long term destruction of functioning older forest habitats in violation of BLM’s own management plan, and that “BLM cannot ignore that simply because it wants to increase commercial logging.” Findings at 18, 20. 

“The BLM once again put its logging agenda above collaboration, fire resiliency, and wildlife habitat” said George Sexton, KS Wild Conservation Director, “and the Court held them to account for ignoring science, the law and the public in their rush to log the LSRs.”

The agency attempted to justify the proposed widespread commercial logging by arguing that the logging would increase wildfire resilience. The Court noted that this proposition “received deep public disapproval and skepticism.” Findings at 28. Ultimately, the Court expressed “serious doubt upon the reasonableness” of this conclusion because there is “substantial evidence that BLM’s chosen logging prescriptions would not have the intended effect and would instead exacerbate fire issues.”  Findings at 28-29.  Specifically, the Court explained that relevant scientific studies have found that logging designed to create “open” conditions and the “gap creation” authorized by the BLM could create “highly flammable young stocks interspersed throughout the thinned units,” and could “increase fire hazard in these stands.” Findings at 28-29.

 “Consistently, studies have concluded that the gap creation and logging to create “open” conditions proposed here leads to worse fire outcomes on the ground,” said Cascadia Wildlands’ Legal Director Nick Cady. “Maximizing timber volume from our public forests is going to perpetuate wildfire risk for our region, but there is a clear opportunity for collaboration around lighter logging prescriptions that can help restore older forest habitats and reduce fire risk.”

The Court recognized this opportunity and found that “[g]iven the mutual affection for Oregon’s forests shared by all in this action, the Court is confident that dedicated collaboration will result in an effective solution.” Findings at 35. The Court noted that the agency’s plan included non-commercial thinning and prescribed fire, which it described as “proactive and admirable strategies directed across many high-risk areas.” Findings at 35. The conservation organizations that brought the challenge specifically excluded those treatments from the lawsuit and will continue to urge for their widespread implementation by land managers. As the Court noted: “Getting this project right could benefit southwestern Oregon for years to come, while getting it wrong may have devastating consequences across the landscape for fire behavior and wildlife habitat.” Findings at 30. 

“We are heartened by the court’s recognition that logging that results in ‘massive canopy reduction’ within protected forests will cause long-term damage to old growth ecosystems and may increase fire hazard. It’s time for BLM to stop seeing virtually every tree as a problem solved by logging,” said Doug Heiken of Oregon Wild. 

While the Biden administration has acknowledged the importance of mature and old growth forests as a bulwark against the worst impacts of climate change, as well as for their wildlife habitat, recreation and other conservation values, the Bureau of Land Management continues to propose reckless logging in many or our last remaining mature and old growth forests. This inconsistency in stated goals and implementation needs to end.

###

Cascadia Wildlands, Oregon Wild, KS Wild and Soda Mountain Wilderness Council were represented by attorneys from Cascadia Wildlands and Crag Law Center.

Eugene-based Cascadia Wildlands defends and restores Cascadia’s wild ecosystems in the forests, in the courts, and in the streets. The organization envisions vast old-growth forests, rivers full of wild salmon, wolves howling in the backcountry, a stable climate, and vibrant communities sustained by the unique landscapes of the Cascadia bioregion. 

Oregon Wild’s mission is to protect and restore Oregon’s wildlands, wildlife, and water as an enduring legacy. Oregon Wild is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year.

KS Wild’s mission is to protect and restore wild nature in the Klamath-Siskiyou region of southwest Oregon and northwest California.

Soda Mountain Wilderness Council is dedicated to protecting and restoring wildlands and the outstanding biodiversity and important biological connectivity where the botanically significant Siskiyou Mountains join the southern Cascade Range in southwest Oregon and northwest California.

Through a unique model of “legal aid for the environment,” Crag Law Center provides free and low-cost legal services to people and organizations who are working on the ground to protect our environment, climate and communities. 

The Court’s Findings and Recommendations can be found here. They will be reviewed by Senior U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken. 

Plaintiffs’ complaint can be found here. 

« Back to Blog

Lights! Camera! Clearcuts!

|Arran Robertson|Logging, Oregon Wild

As an Oregon Wild supporter, you know just how prevalent clearcutting is here in Oregon. Even on lands supposedly managed for everyone, the logging industry is regularly seen by government agencies like the Bureau of Land Management as their #1 constituent. Industrial clearcutting has dire consequences, not just for our climate, but for the fish and wildlife that live there, and for the communities that rely on forested watersheds for clean and reliable drinking water.

So when millions of dollars started flowing from taxpayers to the logging industry to greenwash clearcutting, we knew there was a different story to tell. 

Last month, we were able to take a CBS News correspondent out to Bureau of Land Management forests outside Carlton, Oregon that had been clearcut for a mass timber project.

Mass timber is a promising technology, but is currently being marketed as sustainable and “climate-smart” despite little concern for how the wood is being sourced. No “green” building should be associated with large-scale clearcuts, especially not clearcutting on public lands.

« Back to Blog

Logging Project in Proposed Mount Hood Wilderness Postponed Indefinitely

|Arran Robertson|River Democracy Act, Rivers
Tamanawas Falls by Tula Top

A logging project that long threatened some of the most important and treasured areas on Mount Hood’s eastern flank has been put on indefinite hold!

The Polallie-Cooper project proposed logging and new road-building near the beloved Tamanawas Falls trail and in proposed Cold Spring Creek Wild & Scenic River corridor. Oregon Wild advocates who have been arguing against the Polallie-Cooper project for nearly a decade can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The project has been split in two with the less controversial elements moving forward this year and the more concerning elements being indefinitely postponed. We applaud Forest Service leadership for this change of course. However, we will still need to remain vigilant. While the most problematic logging elements were dropped, they could be resurrected in the future, though they would have to go through a new planning process. This reconsideration is a significant victory for protecting this iconic landscape.

An Unpopular Project for a Popular Hike

On any given day you can pull up to a trailhead in the Columbia River Gorge or Mount Hood and see the enthusiasm of people out enjoying their public lands. Few places represent this energy and excitement better than the area around Tamanawas Falls. The hike to the spectacular waterfall is one of the most beloved treks on the mountain.

Unfortunately, that popularity didn’t prevent the Forest Service from pursuing projects in the area that would degrade its values. Over the years, Polallie-Cooper has been resurrected in various iterations, always including controversial elements. Among these: logging in proposed Wilderness, logging in Wild and Scenic River corridors, logging near popular trails, new road building, and logging around Crystal Springs, the water source for Hood River.

Advocates Push Back

With hard work and persistence, Oregon Wild and our supporters have spent years monitoring this project and pushing back against parts of the proposal that would degrade some of the last remaining Wilderness-quality lands on Mount Hood. We even rallied members of the Oregon Congressional delegation to weigh in, asking the Forest Service tough questions and highlighting the area’s importance to hikers, mountain bikers, and river recreationists. 

Protections Needed

The good news is that Tamanawas Falls is included in Senator Ron Wyden’s River Democracy Act. This pending Congressional legislation would add safeguards for water quality, wildlife, scenic values and more by designating Cold Springs Creek as a Wild & Scenic River. Tamanawas Falls has also been proposed as Wilderness and included in draft legislation as far back as 2004. Sadly, Congress has yet to act to protect this special place, leaving it vulnerable to proposals like Polallie-Cooper.

Until Congress acts, it is up to us to safeguard places on Mount Hood like Tamanawas Falls, and continue to advocate for their protection. We hope it will not be too long before Tamanawas Falls has a champion in Congress, perhaps the next Representative for Oregon’s 3rd District, and this area, like so many other special places on Mount Hood, will finally receive the permanent protections it deserves.

Support the River Democracy Act

« Back to Blog

Groups Challenge BLM Commercial Logging in Conservation Reserve

|Arran Robertson|Forests, Logging, Old-Growth

Medford, Oregon

Contact for more information

Michael Dotson, Executive Director, KS Wild
Nick Cady, Legal Director, Cascadia Wildlands
Doug Heiken, Conservation and Restoration Coordinator, Oregon Wild

Today, a coalition of conservation organizations again filed a legal complaint challenging the Medford District Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) efforts to aggressively log forest stands located outside of Gold Hill, Oregon.

Download the complaint

The Rogue Gold Forest Management Project (“Rogue Gold”) authorizes heavy commercial logging within Late Successional Reserves, areas expressly set aside for old forest conservation. The BLM is targeting mature and old-growth forests that are fire-resilient and provide important habitat for at-risk wildlife species. BLM admits that the purpose of the heavier logging prescriptions being authorized is the generation of commercial timber volume despite locating these logging activities within areas set aside for conservation, called Late Successional Reserves. 

In April of last year, conservation organizations previously challenged Medford BLM’s authorization of the Integrated Vegetation Management Project, which also called for heavy commercial logging in the Late-Successional Reserves. In the Rogue Gold project, BLM again proposes to implement the same heavy logging in the reserves but has since dropped the pretense that its more aggressive logging prescriptions would be beneficial for wildlife and fire, and admitted the purpose of the logging is to generate commercial timber volume.

“With IVM, BLM previously argued that this heavy commercial logging would be good for owls and fire safety for the surrounding community. The public, scientific organizations, and numerous conservation organizations vehemently disagreed and challenged that project,” said George Sexton, KS Wild Conservation Director. “While it is refreshing that BLM has abandoned this fake pretense and admitted that it is timber volume driving the more aggressive logging being proposed, it is does not make this logging any less illegal or worrisome.”

“BLM acknowledges that its logging will make fire issues worse for Oregon communities, degrade habitat and water quality, and remove some of the limited older forest we have left, but BLM has also long argued that its hands were tied by the Oregon & California Railroad Act from 1937,” said Nick Cady, Legal Director for Cascadia Wildlands. “Two appeal courts rejected this position last year, and just this Monday the Supreme Court declined to review that decision. BLM clearly has the discretion to manage these forests in the public interest. BLM needs to turn a new leaf and take its obligations to our communities seriously.”

The forests being targeted for logging in the Rogue Gold project are backyard forests for the Gold Hill and Rogue River communities. These areas are resilient, healthy, older forests that are designated as reserves for conservation, recreation, and water protection. While some aspects of the Rogue Gold project include restoration logging and prescribed burning, elements that could increase fire resilience of the area, Plaintiffs have narrowly focused their legal challenge on the heaviest of the commercial logging proposed by BLM, which will have negative consequences for fire resilience and protecting reserve values. 

“Where the BLM is interested in real restoration, we are fully supportive,” stated Doug Heiken, Conservation and Restoration Coordinator for Oregon Wild, “but aggressively logging mature and old-growth habitat in the Late Successional Reserves that will increase fire hazard for the surrounding community is a very poor choice of priorities.”

The parties are represented by attorneys with Crag Law Center and Cascadia Wildlands. Photo courtesy of KS Wild.

« Back to Blog

Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Survives Legal Challenge

|Arran Robertson|Climate, Forests, Old-Growth

Over the last several years, the logging industry has launched numerous legal attacks on the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, a natural treasure managed by the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in southern Oregon. 

The Monument sits at the junction of three distinct bioregions and is one of the most biologically diverse areas on the planet. The monument provides habitat for dozens of imperiled species of rare plants and animals. Despite its spectacular ecological value, logging companies and some county politicians have long argued it should be managed exclusively for logging because it includes so-called “O&C lands.”

Logging Industry Takes Challenge to the Supreme Court, Gets Denied

The logging industry found a sympathetic judge on the East Coast who was endorsing their extreme “timber dominant” interpretation of the 1937 O&C Act, but then they suffered a string of defeats at the appeal courts (thanks in part to strong opposition from conservation groups like Oregon Wild, and from the Biden administration). The timber industry took their well-funded argument all the way to the Supreme Court where, on Monday, their petition for review was ultimately denied, leaving the appeal court rulings as the law of the land.

This is an enormous victory for old-growth forests, wildlife habitat, and clean drinking water. The courts have definitively affirmed the authority of the BLM to establish protected areas on O&C lands and to manage for values other than industrial logging.

BLM Continues Logging Mature and Old-Growth Forests

Unfortunately, the BLM often shows little interest in using its authority for conservation. Oregon Wild and our allies regularly challenge aggressive mature and old-growth logging sales planned in areas set aside for water and wildlife. 

A new national BLM Conservation Rule being developed by the Biden Administration presents an opportunity to change this! Including O&C lands in the BLM Conservation Rule, and establishing strong standards to protect mature and old-growth forests from logging, would be a giant step forward for protecting wildlife habitat, clean drinking water, and our climate. It would also help ensure special places beyond the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument remain wild and beautiful for generations to come.

« Back to Blog

Senator Barrasso introduces bill to undermine Forest Service efforts to protect old-growth

|Arran Robertson|Logging, Old-Growth

WASHINGTON  – U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) introduced a bill on Wednesday that seeks to block the Biden administration’s proposed nationwide forest plan amendment to advance protections for old-growth forests.”

The national old-growth forest plan amendment proposed in December, which followed calls for strong protection for America’s oldest forests from more than 500,000 people, was celebrated as a critical first step toward safeguarding mature and old-growth trees across federal lands. These trees are uniquely suited to serve as buffers against climate change because they absorb and sequester higher levels of carbon dioxide than younger stands of trees. Older, larger trees are also more resistant to wildfires.

The Climate Forests Campaign has been calling for stronger protections for mature and old-growth trees and forests on federal lands as a measure against climate change since February 2022. 

In response to Senator Barrasso’s bill introduction, members of the coalition, including NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, Environment America, Earthjustice, Old-Growth Forest Network,  Oregon Wild, and Standing Trees issued the following statement:

“We appreciate the Biden Administration’s response to public support for durable protections for our mature and old-growth trees and forests and we support the Forest Service’s goals of protecting America’s old-growth forests through a National Old-Growth Amendment. 

“Senator Barrasso’s press release and bill is a mischaracterization of the Forest Service’s proposed old-growth forest amendment. If allowed to proceed, the Barrasso bill would only serve to undermine sound science and further jeopardize the last remaining old-growth forests on federal lands.

“This bill is an attack on an important step toward protecting our climate-critical trees and forests. Old-growth forests will continue to be vulnerable to logging if nothing is done to protect them. Done right, the Forest Service’s proposed amendment will help ensure that they can remain standing for the benefit of future generations and the climate.

“Our organizations and our allies will continue our efforts to demonstrate strong public support for protections that ensure that mature and old-growth forests can continue to store carbon, provide clean water and support wildlife for centuries to come.”

« Back to Blog

Compromise Conservation Plan Advances for Oregon State Forests

|Arran Robertson|Forests, State Forests, Wildlife

Last week marked a significant milestone as the Oregon Board of Forestry took a crucial step by voting to advance the Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for the Western Oregon State forests. This decision comes after years of development and extensive input from thousands of supporters, including numerous activists like yourself, who advocated for heightened protections for public lands such as the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests.

Jim Kelly, Chair of the Board of Forestry, remarked, “At the end of the day, most Oregonians don’t want our state forests to be managed like a commercial tree farm.” His statement underscores a widely held sentiment, but the importance of moving forward with this plan extends beyond mere public preference—it’s imperative.

Decades of over-exploitation have plagued Oregon’s State Forests, compounded by rampant clearcutting on privately owned industrial tree farms dominating the Coast Range landscape. This mismanagement has pushed numerous species to the brink of extinction.

The Habitat Conservation Plan represents a compromise, albeit one we believe provides a vital opportunity for species to begin recovering. To truly foster the revival of imperiled species like the northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet, red tree voles, salmon, marten, and torrent salamanders, the passage of the HCP is an essential step in the right direction.

“State Forester Cal Mukumoto and the Board of Forestry did the right thing for our shared forests, fish, and birds, all in the face of intense opposition,” said Oregon Wild State Forest Program Coordinator Casey Kulla. “Oregonians spoke up, and the Board of Forestry listened. There’s a lot of hope today for the future of these forests that so many of us treasure and rely on.”

Join Our
Newsletter.

Staying informed is the first step to becoming a public lands and native wildlife advocate.

Skip to content