Environmental group sues Forest Service over SW Oregon post-fire tree removal
Oregon Debris Management Task Force
Post-wildfire hazard tree removal work has been sparked criticism by some who say it s being rushed and mismanaged, leading to more logging than necessary
SALEM, Ore. (AP) An environmental group is suing the U.S. Forest Service, claiming it unlawfully approved the removal of trees burned in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.
The Capital Press reports the Klamath Forest Alliance filed the lawsuit, accusing the agency of improperly “categorically excluding” the Slater Fire Safe Re-entry Project from environmental analysis.
The complaint says logging the trees without an “environmental assessment” or a more rigorous “environmental impact statement” violates the National Environmental Policy Act.
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The Slater Fire started in September 2020 in Southern Oregon and spread over 157,000 acres.
Removing the trees will also mean eliminating some habitat for the threatened northern spotted owl, the complaint said.
Even though the Forest Service acknowledges the treatment is likely to adversely affect the spotted owl, it hasn t consulted with other agencies on the impacts, as required under the Endangered Species Act, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiff has asked a federal judge to overturn the project s approval and halt its implementation until the Forest Service has proven it complies with environmental laws.
Capital Press was unable to reach a representative of the Forest Service for comment.
Klamath Forest Alliance Sues USFS Over Post-Fire Tree Felling
2 hours ago
Klamath Forest Alliance (KFA), a non-profit corporation based in California, is suing the United States Forest Service and other officials over a decision memorandum they passed which authorized “the felling of ‘danger’ trees affected by the 2020 Slater Fire along approximately 146 miles of identified travel corridors.” Scott J. Blower (Wild District Ranger), and Merv George Jr. (Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Supervisor) are also named alongside the United State Forest Service.
The decision memorandum, or DM, states that at-risk trees will be felled. It also details the area will be rehabilitated and restored through, “site-specific seeding and planting,” of various trees and plants in highly affected areas. KFA has taken issue with the fact that the Forest Service failed to publish the DM with an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or an Environmental Assessment (EA), which the plaintiff
April 6, 2021
50 Organizations Call on President Biden to Protect Tongass National Forest and Carbon-rich Forests Under U.S. Climate Commitments Biden administration expected to release international climate commitments ahead of Earth Day summit on April 22
Contacts Juneau, AK (Tlingit / Áak’w Ḵwáan lands)
50 organizations representing national and local conservation groups, commercial fishing interests, and the outdoor recreation industry, submitted a letter last week to the Biden administration calling for carbon-dense forests, including the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, to be specifically protected in the United States’ Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), a plan for climate action that is integral to the international Paris climate agreement. The NDC, which is currently being drafted by Biden’s climate team, will be presented to the United Nations later this year.