December 28th, 2006

Bark Op-Ed in the Oregonian

When the U.S. Forest Service decides to increase logging in the watershed from which your drinking water comes or allows your favorite hiking trail to crumble, we know from experience that Oregonians are ready to stand up and object. But right now across Oregon, the Forest Service is beginning to revise the local forest management plans that guide the future of our watersheds and trails, and your input is no longer wanted.

One such management plan, due for revision in 2009, is for Mount Hood National Forest. Mount Hood is Oregon's most popular national forest for recreation, as well as the source of clean drinking water for nearly one-third of all Oregonians.

Mount Hood's forests, rivers and wildlife are managed according to a plan that Oregonians helped craft. If the Forest Service violated the law by ignoring that plan, we could hold it accountable. Local communities have used this ability to stop old-growth logging and road building from degrading their drinking water or destroying their favorite trails. Given the ever-increasing desire to see the last remaining wild areas around Mount Hood protected, common sense dictates that the Forest Service should do everything possible to help the public shape its new plans. After all, we all own the public land, so we all should have a say in its future. Right?

Wrong.

Under the direction of former timber industry lobbyist Mark Rey and his deputies, the Forest Service has issued a rule that excludes forest management plans from the National Environmental Policy Act. This law was passed by Congress almost four decades ago and is considered the Magna Carta of environmental stewardship. It requires the Forest Service to take a hard look at the environmental effects of its actions and involve the public in making decisions.

But under its new rule, the Forest Service must do neither, making it impossible for the public to hold the Forest Service to account if it violates the law.

Mount Hood is one of the most popular national forests in the nation, one of 14 in the country designated as "urban." It receives an astonishing 5 million visits every year, proof that Oregonians love this forest and want to have a say in its future.

For nearly four decades we've had a system of checks and balances that ensures federal land managers do their job right. While many local managers may want to manage our forests for the greater public good, political appointees in Washington have a different plan. They seek to cut the public out of the process, masking their efforts as promoting "healthy forests" and making the process more efficient.

Oregonians should not be fooled. Mount Hood should be protected for the good of all. The new Congress should check these abuses that threaten Oregon's forests.

Alex P. Brown is executive director of Bark, an environmental advocacy group focused on Mount Hood National Forest. Ralph Bloemers is an attorney with the Crag Law Center and is a member of the Governor's Federal Forestland Advisory Committee.