1996 Timber Sales in Diamond Lake
7/99 Update: This sale was cut in 1998. Picture on right, taken 7/99, is of one of the trees that was left uncut so it could later be killed. It has been girdled to try and replace some of the standing dead trees that were originally in the unit. This is because woodpeckers would die if they didn't have standing dead trees to build homes in. Clearcutting destroys these naturally occuring old dead trees. It has yet to be proven that killing a live tree can replace the soft wood of a natural, long standing dead tree in a whole forest.
The Watson Falls "DEMO" Timber
Sale is a scientific experiment, 6 units of beautiful native forests, 128 acres,
3.683 mmbf. Each unit will have a different pattern of retention trees, to test assumptions
of the Forest Plan.
The Forest Service is allowed to break environmental laws in the name of scientific experiments. But worse than breaking the law, this scientific experiment condones the exploitation of our public forests at the expense of wildlife.
The Forest Service had to apply for, (and they received) an 'incidental take permit' because this sale is likely to kill a pair of northern spotted owls. American pine marten habitat falls within the proposed harvest and road construction. Between 40% and 60% of the habitat for cavity excavators will be logged, affecting the Pileated woodpecker, red-breasted sapsucker, northern flicker, and blackbacked woodpecker. This means that 40% to 60% of these species living in the area will die. Pileated woodpeckers have been using all six units.
Federally listed and endangered animals like the California Wolverine and the Umpqua Cutthroat Trout have the potential to reside within the harvest area. A great grey owl has been observed around unit 2. Barred owls are in the vicinity of unit 3. The Red-legged frog calls this forest its home. According to the Forest Service, at least one "specimen" was captured in a pitfall trap (and killed) in unit 5 in the fall of 1995 during a pre-harvest survey.
In the spring of 1996, Umpqua Watersheds received an letter from an anonymous source, signed A.N. Onymous. It was from someone involved in the research projects, and who was concerned with the pitfall traps that were killing animals in the name of a scientific experiment. The letter says, in part:
"A very large number of mammals and amphibians (over 3000 in 1995 alone) are being purposely killed for research, largely because the Forest Service is unwilling to invest the time and labor costs to accomplish the same research objectives with live-trapping. These animals are being killed by drowning in pitfall traps, a practice not recognized by the ecological research community as a legitimate means of "collecting" scientific specimens."
The letter goes on to list some of the species that have been killed in the experiment: Red-Tree voles, Richardson's voles, Northern flying squirrel, Pacific shrew, Shrew-mole, Clouded salamander, Pacific Giant salamander and Northwestern salamander.
There are 4 experimental sites on the Umpqua, and
Watson Falls is the first of the four to be logged. There are 4 more experimental
sites in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest - which were logged last year under
the clearcut rider. The figure used above, 3,000 mammals killed just in 1995, probably
refers to all eight sites, not just to Watson Falls. None the less, the killing of
these animals, on public forests, for the purpose of logging research, was done without
any environmental analysis.
The forest service concludes in the E.A. that "this project will not jeopardize the viability" of these species. In fact, they say, this project will give them "insight into the long-term effects of various timber harvesting methodologies on terrestrial wildlife species."
Unfortunately, this "experiment" looks nothing like a real timber sale. It does do a good job of logging trees on public land, but this scientific experiment will give NO data on the effects of real-world timber sales in the Umpqua. 3 reasons:
1. The study design does not comply with current environmental laws in at least three places: Riparian Reserves, Green-Tree Retention, and Down Logs. Don't real-world sales comply with the law? Why are we studying law-breaking?
2. The study puts 'retention areas' within the cutting units. However, the Forest Service traditionally has placed the required 'retention areas' on the outside edges, not "within" the units, using the excuse that retention areas interfere with logging as usual. What's the point of doing a "harvest design experiment" they never plan on implementing?
3. All the sale units are on flat or gentle terrain. Most of Umpqua National Forest timber sales are on steep, unstable slopes. Why are they studying the effects of retention trees, when landslides will not effect this study area?
Our wildlife are in trouble - they
are going extinct. Public land is their only hope. We've already logged 95% of our
native forests in the United States. Can't we live on that? Can't we leave the last
5% to wildlife? Most of this 5% of wild native forests is on public lands. What better
place to let the animals live! There is just no room for wildlife on private land.
But they can't live in the Watson Falls forests anymore. These forests are being permanently converted to tree plantations - to factory farms.
It is very sad that the forest service plans on restocking every area in need of planting with 100% Pine trees. They are converting the fir and hemlock forests to pine plantations. It must be that these plantations are easier for industry to log. There are a few natural ponderosa pines in the lowest elevation units - but to replant all units, even the very high elevations units (some with mountain hemlock!) with 100% pine shows how permanently enslaved and artificialized this land will become.
The comment period ends on 2/13/97. Even if the comment period is over - you can
tell the forest service how you feel about public forests in the Umpqua. Just
click here and speak your mind to the Forest Supervisor.
Watchdog and Roughneck
Two of your run-of-the-mill ugly Diamond Lake management of your public forests.
