Action Alert for the Upper Bear Lake Timber Sale (Malheur National Forest)

Give Forests A Chance!

The Upper Bear Lake proposed timber sale is adjacent to the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness Area with lots of opportunities for hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, hunting, viewing wildlife, camping, and relaxing. There are  nine hiking and equestrian trails leading into the adjacent Wilderness, five trailheads, and three campgrounds. Yet the Forest Service is planning the Upper Bear Lake Project timber sale, and proposing 15,274 acres of commercial logging and 33.2 miles of “temporary” road construction.  Please tell the Forest Service about your concerns.

There are beautiful creeks in the area, with the forest ranging from drier Ponderosa pine forest to moist and cold mixed conifer forest at higher elevations. Due to the area’s proximity to the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness, there could be rare wildlife species that use the area, including Wolverine, Canada lynx, members of the new Logan Valley wolf pack, and possible Pacific fisher. While field surveying, we found ancient plant fossils and explored colorful lichen-covered rock formations.

Unfortunately, the Upper Bear Lake sale area has had 75% of the forest already logged mostly in the 1980’s and 1990’s, primarily by clearcutting. Many of the sale units planned for logging look degraded already from past intensive and repeated logging and cattle grazing damage along the creeks. Due to the many fires last summer, we were unable to field survey all the commercial logging sale units. However we are in awe from an old growth moist mixed conifer stand with abundant towering old growth trees and lots of old growth snags and logs. Unfortunately, this forest is planned for logging. In another sale unit, the last green forest surrounded by a big past fire burned area, we found secluded old growth Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, Western larch and Grand fir.

The Forest Service needs to stop logging and increasing road mileage. There’s about 15, 274 acres of commercial logging planned and 33.2 miles of “temporary” roads planned for construction on top of an existing 249.15 miles of Forest Service roads. The Malheur Forest Service has a horrible track record of failing to effectively close and fully decommission roads that were decided for closure.  Roads fragment wildlife habitat and increase access for poaching, illegal firewood cutting, and the introduction and dispersal of invasive exotic plants. There is currently a whopping 5,424.2 acres of invasive exotic plants that were introduced and dispersed by heavy equipment use, ground disturbance, road traffic, and cattle.

We’re particularly concerned by planned commercial logging over 1,480 acres of wildlife connectivity corridors that are critical for wildlife migrating to find more suitable habitat during extreme climate change. We’re opposed to steep slope logging as it causes erosion, displacement of irreplaceable ash soils, and degrades wildlife security habitat. We’re also concerned by 16.1 acres of heavy equipment use for skidding and log decking in Riparian Habitat Conservation Areas that could cause much ground disturbance, channel sediment into streams, and introduce invasive exotic plants.

We want the Forest Service to significantly scale down or drop all of the planned commercial logging, and drop the “temporary” road construction and closed road re-opening.  Instead we suggest focusing on ecologically sound restoration along streams; and already planned non-commercial thinning of small trees up to 9” diameter at breast height; prescribed burning in dry forest types, and effective closing and decommissioning more than the planned 23.4 miles of roads. 

Comments are due by this Friday, January 24^th. You can mail comments to:  Chase Bloom, District Ranger, Prairie City Ranger District, P.O. 337, 327 SW Front Street, Prairie City, Oregon 97869 or submit online comments at:

https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/CommentInput?Project=65008.

You can access the Preliminary Environmental Assessment and supporting documents are available on the Malheur National Forest website at:  https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/malheur/?project=65008.  More information can be obtained from Fred Hoeft, Frederick.Hoeft@usda.gov or (541) 820-3807.

Thank you!