"We're not granting special
privileges to anybody. We're giving priority to logging
over recreational uses or any other use."
- Hungry Horse District Ranger Jimmy DeHerrera
explaining the public closure of areas on the Flathead
National Forest due to industrial logging operations
(Daily Interlake, Feb. 12, 2005)
In early February
2005, industrial logging began on major
post-fire timber sales on the Flathead National
Forest, despite the fact that the citizen
appeal period hasn't even ended. These logging
projects are located in core grizzly bear habitat,
include industrial logging of old-growth forests
and industrial logging in riparian areas and
unroaded areas.
In a forest which is currently above road density
standards meant to protect the threatened grizzly
bear, the Flathead NF will build 15 miles of
new temporary roads to accomplish the logging.
|
|
| A logging truck
hauling trees past the road closure sign on the
Beta Sale of the Westside Reservoir project. This
area is closed to the public, but open for industrial
logging. |
Moreover, the Flathead NF is using
unproven - and largely untested - tree mortality guidelines
to facilitate the logging of green trees, using the
justification that they will probably die anyway.
To date, the Forest Service has been unwilling to
seriously address the public's concerns with negative
impacts to grizzy bears, old-growth forests, clean
water, wildlands and nature's natural recovery process.
Adding to citizen frustration is the fact that not
only is logging taking place before the "checks
and balances" provided by the citizen appeal
process, but the logging is taking place without public
oversight because the Flathead NF has placed a public
closure around the areas being logged, sighting safety
issues connected with industrial logging.
Following repeated requests by the Native Forest Network
to have access to the timber sales to monitor the
on-the-ground impacts of the logging, the Flathead
National Forest hosted a March 1st tour of the Beta
Logging Sale just south of Hungry Horse Dam. The Beta
Logging Sale will cut down enough trees to fill 3,000
log trucks lined up for 25 miles and represents 40%
of the total estimated volume of the Westside Reservoir
project.
Over 50 people attended the public tour
of the Beta Sale. The public field tour that was meant
to allow for discussion of the project between members
of the public, the logging company, and the Forest
Service and to allow the public to see what the project
looked like on the ground was strictly controlled
by the Forest Service to provide for less than half
an hour discussion and no access to any of the units
where the public could see the project's effects on
the forest. This can't be what the Forest Service
means by "collaboration."
The Flathead National Forest has stated that the public
closure of these areas will last until April 1, 2005
and have indicated that more public closures will
likely occur throughout the summer.
Take Action:
Let the Forest Service know how you feel by contacting
the following officials:
Cathy Barbouletos, Flathead Supervisor: cbarbouletos@fs.fed.us
Joe Krueger, Environmental Coordinator, Flathead NF:
jkrueger@fs.fed.us
Gail Kimbell, USFS Regional Forester, Missoula: akimbell@fs.fed.us
Letter to Editor:
Express your opinion by writting a letter to the editor
about what is currently taking place on the Flathead
National Forest.
Missoulian: oped@missoulian.com
Daily Interlake: edit@dailyinterlake.com
Missoula Indy: btyer@missoulanews.com
Headwaters
News: editor@headwatersnews.org
Click here for more information
about these industrial logging projects on the Flathead
National Forest or contact the Native Forest Network
at 406.542.7343 or nfn@wildrockies.org
