Forest management proposal panned by industry and conservation groups

Environmentalists and industry representative have found fault with a U.S. Forest Service proposal that would shift forest and grassland management to a collaborative and science-based system. National forest Deputy Chief Joel Holtrop said the proposal "strikes a balance between economic and ecological demands," and the agency says it will "accelerate timber sales and provide rural jobs while protecting watersheds, wildlife and quiet spaces for recreation," Eric Mortenson of The Oregonian reports. "The proposal is the latest attempt to update 1982 planning rules governing 193 million acres, including more than 12 million acres of national forests in Oregon." (Photo of Umpqua National Forest, by U.S. Forest Service)

Tom Partin, president of the Portland-based American Forest Resources Council, said his group welcomes the "increased emphasis on socio- and economic elements in the planning process," but he noted "the plan contains a 'cumbersome' process for documenting species diversity when planning how a forest will be managed, Mortenson writes. Conservation groups claim the proposal left too much discretion to local officials. "In Oregon, we've seen the result of decades of mismanagement at the hands of old-school forest managers in places like the Umpqua National Forest, where tens of thousands of acres have been ravaged by clear cuts," Oregon Wild spokesman Rob Klavins said. (Read more)