NEWS

BLM plan draws timber lawsuit

Caitlyn M May
Statesman Journal
Bureau of Land Management timber

Loggers and environmentalists wasted little time challenging the updated plan for federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management in Oregon.

Both the American Forest Resource Council and the group Earth Justice quickly sued the agency in federal court.

The American Forest Resource Council, which represents approximately 60 landowners and wood manufacturers, contends the plan violates the O&C Act of 1937 and limits timber harvests small businesses and communities depend upon.

“Conservation of species and environmental values can be accomplished through many different management approaches,” said Travis Joseph, president of the forest resource council.

In the resource plan, the BLM estimates it can provide 278 million board feet of timber a year from 2.5 million acres it manages in western Oregon. It describes the estimate as 75 million board feet more than what is currently being harvested. The value is expected to increase to $51 million from 2012’s value of $23 million.

Joseph argues a change in BLM 's approach could allow more timber to be harvested with little impact.

“Right now, the BLM is using a reserve system where large blocks of forests are never managed, or only managed for restoration," Joseph said. "That means that the small blocks, less than 20 percent of the land base, are managed more intensively to produce timber.

"Another approach would be to manage less intensively over the entire landscape on a longer rotation. A lighter touch management scheme on more acres would generate more timber volume while also accommodating the BLM’s environmental responsibilities,” Joseph said.

Earth Justice, an environmental group based in Washington, D.C., protested the plan earlier this year and followed closely behind Joseph with its own lawsuit on Monday.

“We don’t think this plan is successful. Their main focus is harvesting more timber,” said Todd True, an attorney with the organization.

True said he did not agree with the forest resource council’s interpretation of the O&C Act and called the council’s suggestion of managing less intensively “interesting math.”

Sarah Levy, of the BLM’s public affairs, said the resource management plan meets the agency’s legal obligations.

“Our analysis shows we can sustainability harvest 278 million board feet and still meet our legal obligations under the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and the O&C Act, which also says we need to protect watershed,” she said.

The O&C Act of 1937 gives the Department of the Interior the right to manage “forest production” and calls for the timber on the lands to be “cut, sold and removed in the conformity with the principal of sustained yield for the purpose of providing a permanent source of timber supply, protecting watersheds, regulating stream flow and contributing to the economic stability of local communities and industries…”

Associated Oregon Loggers Executive Vice President Jim Geisinger said the BLM’s plan actually decreases possible timber harvests.

“The BLM lands are growing 1.2 billion board feet a year. So they’re proposing 20 percent of what’s growing,” he said. Geisinger said the change ignores possible jobs for rural communities.

“They’re opting to be politically correct rather than legally correct,” he said. Geisinger's group is represented by the American Forest Resource Council and subsequently is included in the suit.

In addition to the suit, the council penned a letter to Oregon lawmakers calling the Resource Management Plan “flawed” and said it would threaten the “fiscal solvency and public services of Oregon’s rural counties.” It mentions potential damage to the lumber industry as well.

Freres Lumber Co. in Lyons is the state’s largest contract holder for BLM timber. The BLM plan will “severely hinder Freres’ ability to maintain its current level of operations,” according to the lawsuit.

Levy said the BLM does not comment on pending litigation but that she had yet to see the suit from the forest resource council.

“I don’t want to get into a back-and-forth with the AFRC,” she said.

She also noted 20 percent of planning areas were designated for recreation areas. A move, Levy said, that came directly from the public.

“A lot of attention is paid to timber and owls but we put a lot of attention into asking what people would like to see and we heard loud and clear that they’d like more recreational opportunities,” she said.

The Resource Management Plan also includes plans to protect the northern spotted owl, increase tourism and job opportunities and implement climate change strategies.