East Fork Coquille Timber Sale
Brown Elk and Pleasant Yankee Sales Stopped!
11-6-06 Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Rules that BLM violated protection for the Red Tree Voles
BLM proposes to clearcut 600 acres of mature and old-growth forests
September 2005 Update:
The East Fork Coquille Timber Sale sale is located west of Roseburg in the Coastal Mountain Range, near Coos Bay Wagon Road, between Reston and Sitkum. The BLM is consdering two options: Alternative 3 is the proposed alternative which clearcuts forests up to 180 years old. Alternative 2 considers clearcutting forests up to 420 years old. While we are glad the latter alternative will not be chosen, we need to tell the BLM it is not okay to clearcut old growth forests up to 180 years old.
Thanks to your comments concering this issue, the BLM has deferred logging 133 acres of the oldest trees, but forests 180 years old and younger are still at risk. This idea is good in theory until we consider what BLM calls non old-growth forests to still be old-growth:
Unit 119 |
Unit 110 |
Unit 130 |
Unit 119 |
The units seen below are still threatened with logging, but have been postponed until the BLM can eliminate their "Critical Habitat" designation. In 2004, a lawsuit reqiured the BLM to only restore, never degrade Critical Habitat for the northern spotted owl. If the Endangered Species Act protections are reduced, as the timber industry hopes for, the units below can be quickly sold and cut.
Of the 900 acres to be clearcut, 600 are mature and old-growth forests. The oldest forest to
be clearcut has trees over 425 years old, more than 200 years older than our nation. The trees on the right are about 300 years old. |
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Unit 108 |
The old growth unit on the left should never be converted to another managed tree plantation. The BLM is proposing to thin 2,000 acres of old clearcuts to enhance wildlife habitat. This is good, we encourage the BLM to proceed with this part of the project. However, unit 108 should not be converted to another tree plantation when the BLM has a backlog of tree plantations that need to be thinned. Tell BLM not to convert unit 108 to another tree plantation. |
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This is a rare and beautiful place that supports habitat for plants, wild critters and clean water. Pictured at right is the East Fork Coquille River, which flows through this timber sale area. |
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Can you believe the size of these trees? This forest is about
300 years old. Should we cut 'em down to create new and overcrowded plantations that are fire hazards? Tell them firmly: NO MORE CUTTING OLD GROWTH TREES PERIOD! LEAVE OUR OLD GROWTH ALONE! |
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Unit 104 |
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Unit 107. Photo by James Johnson
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Unit 105 |
The northern spotted owl and marbled murrelet populations that depend
on these forests for nesting are continuing to decline. Many of the forests set aside
for old-growth dependent animals (Late Successional Reserves) were previously
clearcut and have not regrown enough to help. Please write to the Coos Bay BLM Myrtlewood Field Manager Pat Ryan and ask him to take the old-growth logging out of the proposal. Clearcutting old-growth is a national concern and not acceptable to most of the American public. Tell him how you feel about logging old-growth forests. See address below. |
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Unit 104 |
Unit 108
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Download MAPS of some old-growth units here. In addition, you should download unit maps on the right. Note the township, range, and section identification
in the Location column to the right (example: unit 100
is "28-9-3". This is Township 28, Range 9, Section 3). You can match this location to the Coos Bay District road map. Then, compare the BLM road map with the roads seen on the aerial photo map, and you're
on your way. |
Topo map of unit 100 (not very good). Topo map of units 104, 105, 107. Topo map of just unit 104. Topo map of unit 108. Topo map of unit 131. |
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Please
Do something! Send another copy to State Representative |
Citizen surveyor shooting climbing rope into old-growth tree to look for red tree voles. |
