Activists continue opposition to logging

A group of nine activists representing several groups asked The Nugget to accompany them last Friday to an area on Green Ridge to show trees marked by the Forest Service for removal under a proposed timber sale as part of the Service's Green Ridge Landscape Restoration Project, a 25,000-acre planning area.

Green Ridge is in the Sisters District of the Deschutes National Forest in Jefferson County about nine air miles north of town and close to Camp Sherman and the Metolius River basin.

The Forest Service says, "The project would maintain and restore forest conditions closer to the historic range of variability and contribute to the restoration of ecosystem process and function in the planning area. Timber products are an outcome of restoration activities."

Various organizations have objected to the project, not yet finalized, on various grounds. It is the possibility that as many as 5.25 million board feet of lumber being logged that is the primary lightning rod for the opponents.

A typical Oregon home takes about 10,000 board feet of lumber meaning the amount in consideration could build as many as 525 homes.

Photo by Bill Bartlett

Marking of trees in the proposed Green Ridge project area was a red flag to activists opposed to the logging project.

The recent marking of trees by Forest Service personnel in the area covered by the draft proposal is a red flag for the groups.

"Why would they mark the trees if the decision hasn't even been made?" Hood asked.

"It is common to survey and mark trees in a planning area before any decision," said Lauren DuRocher, Acting District Ranger for Sisters. "Our work takes into consideration several factors including weather when scheduling. Scoping trees is all part of a process regardless of a decision."

In a combined statement from Paula Hood with Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project and Adam Bronstein with Wild Ecosystems Alliance, activists said, "We remain very concerned that large and mature trees, and possibly old growth trees, will be logged as part of logging implementation in the Green Ridge sale. While the Forest Service has been adamant that old growth trees will not be logged as part of the Green Ridge sale, the agency does admit that it plans to target mature and large trees for logging in this sale."

"Since the draft decision was released, we have gone through the objection (administrative review) process. There will be changes that will be outlined in the final decision," said DuRocher.

Bronstein, Hood and others want the Forest Service to reconsider their findings. The initial scoping for the project began in 2017. The comment period started October 22, 2021, and the objection period began May 10, 2022.

The final decision which DuRocher says will consider new information learned from the comments and objections, will be made on or about December 1 and implementation in the first quarter of 2025.

During the period to hear objections, the Forest Service agreed to some changes. Opponents are asking for more to support their claims of disruption to the ecosystems.