October 19th, 2006

October Bark-Alert

Dear Barkers,

This Monday a company called Southside Enterprises Inc. began logging the Eight Mile Meadow Timber Sale. Despite hundreds of letters asking the Forest Service to stop the logging plan, over a thousand hours in the field by the Groundtruthing team, and a lawsuit challenging the legality of the sale, 222 acres of forest will be clearcut in the coming weeks. But the fact that the Forest Service ignored public concern should be no surprise. Eightmile Meadow Timber Sale (see link below) is a categorical exclusion, or CE, meaning that the Forest Service was not required to analyze the environmental impacts of logging nor take the public's opinion into account. That is why no one knew about it when the Forest Service chose to double the volume of logging. That is why no one knew about it when the Forest Service chose to not only cut dead lodgepole pine but live western larch trees. And that is why Bark needs your help now. Please take action on the items below and then call us to find out how to get more involved.

Sincerely,
Alex P. Brown, Executive Director

2nd Sunday Fire Ecology Bark-About
Sunday, November 12, from 8:45am-5pm

Mt. Hood National Forest experienced two large forest fires this summer. Join hike leader Rolf Skar on an adventure to one of the fire sites to learn why forest fire is critical to the health of Mt. Hood, and how you can help Bark improve the Forest Service's management of fire in the forest.

Rolf works for the Siskiyou Project, and is currently the lead organizer in the fight to stop the logging of the roadless forests burned in the 2002 Biscuit Fire. If you ever wanted to know more about forest fires, this is the hike for you!

Carpools leave from the parking lot of the Daily Grind (4026 SE Hawthorne Blvd.) at 9:00am. Please arrive by 8:45am so we can check you in, arrange rides and give an overview of the day's plans.

Please bring plenty of water and a sack lunch. Bring appropriate clothing for the weather including rain and snow gear and an extra set of dry clothes just in case. As always, Bark-Abouts are rain or shine.

Logging Begins at Eightmile Meadow Timber Sale
Help Bark hold the Forest Service accountable for
illegal logging on Mt. Hood!

On September 27th, Bark asked you to call Gary Larsen, Mt. Hood National Forest Supervisor, and ask him to order a delay in the Eightmile Meadow Timber Sale until our case could be heard by a judge. Well, Mr. Larsen ignored your calls and as of Monday morning logging has begun. Eightmile Timber Sale area is best known for its wildlife habitat and for the trail running through it that is popular with mountain bikers. But Eightmile was a Categorical Exclusion, cutting science, and the public, out of the decision making process. The result was a logging project conceived behind closed doors, with no benefit to Oregonians, the real owners of Mt. Hood National Forest. Some of the facts:

1) On May 3, 2005, the Forest Service announced the Eightmile Timber Sale, explaining that it would “salvage” the value of lodgepole pine trees killed by pine beetles. On September 14, 2005, an internal Forest Service email revealed that just selling the dead pines for pulp would not bring in enough money to make the sale worth it. Then on March 2, 2006, the Forest Service in their final decision informed the public that half of the live western larch trees would also be logged (making the timber sale profitable).
2) The Mt. Hood National Forest Management Plan requires the Forest Service to ensure “partial retention” within 660ft of trails. The logging at Eightmile will log 90% of the trees and leave only a 75-foot buffer.
3) The March, 2006, final decision (the last document for the public to inspect) described the project as logging 1.2 million board feet of trees. Yet in the letter that went to timber companies planning to bid on the sale, the Forest Service stated the total volume as 2.3 million board feet, or twice what was originally proposed.

PLEASE CALL SENATOR RON WYDEN
TODAY AND ASK HIM TO STOP LAWLESS LOGGING

When the U.S. Senate returns from their recess on November 13 they will consider two pieces of legislation (see below) that could devastate our forests and the economies of rural communities. Please call or write Senator Wyden's office today and tell them that illegal and deplorable actions like the Eightmile Meadow Timber Sale need to stop, and
1) That he should actively fight any legislation (like HR 4200) that exempts logging (whether green trees or dead) from environmental laws and/or public input; AND
2) That you support his “county payments” legislation 100% and that he should not let any politicking get in the way of doing the right thing for rural communities.

Senator Ron Wyden, Portland office
Phone: 503.326.7525
Email: through the web at http://wyden.senate.gov/contact/


As if logging 90% of the trees wasn’t enough, Bark Groundtruthers have discovered that Southside Enterprises Inc. is logging trees that are marked to save (click here for video, notice the trees marked with orange paint) and trees outside of the sale boundary (click here for video). And if you never had a chance to visit the Eightmile area, Bark’s July Bark-About to Eightmile was captured on video…check it out!

Lame duck session of Congress threatens Mt. Hood
When congress returns from recess they will consider
two bills that will exempt logging from environmental
laws and reduce federal support for rural communities

Congress is home for October recess. When they return for the lame duck session on November 13 after the elections, several important decisions on forests may be made. Here's the skinny:

Walden Logging Bill HR 4200
HR 4200 passed the House of Representatives in May, but the senate has yet to vote on the bill sponsored by Representative Greg Walden (R-OR) -- one of the largest recipients of timber industry campaign contributions. The Walden logging bill, which is opposed by scientists, fishing and hunting groups, firefighters, taxpayer advocates and conservationists, leaves roadless and old growth forests unprotected, provides a de facto exemption from the Endangered Species Act and eliminates meaningful citizen involvement. The bill would promote aggressive logging after a "catastrophic event" to purportedly "restore" the forest. The bill's definition is so broad that fire, insects or almost any weather event could qualify as a catastrophe including rain, drought, wind, snowstorms and tornadoes.

There is still time for mischief during the lame duck session. HR 4200 could be brought up by the Senate, either separately, or attached as a rider to the omnibus spending bill.

PLEASE CALL SENATOR RON WYDEN
TODAY AND ASK HIM TO STOP LAWLESS LOGGING

Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act

The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, also known as "County Payments" is up for reauthorization. The bill largely ended the practice of paying for rural county roads and schools with revenues from logging national forests. An earlier Bush administration proposal to fund county payments by selling national forests was resoundingly defeated. However, in a last minute push to manufacture momentum for HR 4200, Rep. Walden, with support from the Bush administration, is trying to tie passage of HR 4200 to county payments saying that revenues generated from increased logging can be a source of funds for rural counties.

It is very disappointing that the Bush administration and Rep. Walden are using rural communities as pawns to pass damaging logging bills by holding out a promise of funding. This proposal is disingenuous at best. Rural communities and schools deserve a real and sustainable funding source. The conservation community supports county payments; but not at the expense of selling public lands or passing scientifically flawed legislation.

PLEASE CALL SENATOR RON WYDEN
TODAY AND ASK HIM TO STOP LAWLESS LOGGING
More about Eightmile Meadow Timber Sale...