There’s still time to comment on the Forest Service’s plan to allow logging of big trees on public lands!

The Forest Service is moving forward with plans to weaken its rules that protect big trees on all National Forests in Central and Eastern Oregon.

Take a drive on the highway out past Sisters a bit. Not long ago it was a striking experience to pass down along the nave of a forest cathedral, beneath colonnaded ranks of towering, girthy, Ponderosa pines.

In a victory for public lands, wildlife, and native fish, Judge Marco Hernández ruled that the Forest Service failed to satisfy its legal obligation to study the environmental impacts of a major new trail system for off-road vehicles, and to ensure that sensitive habitat for elk, wolves, and native fish are protected.

Thanks in large part to our advocacy, the Westside Transect is a new concept for Central Oregon that is being used to plan development on Bend’s western edge where we are at most risk of wildfire sweeping into town from the Cascade Mountain forests.

More than 100 of the iconic, old-growth ponderosa pine trees which greet us when we arrive back into Central Oregon from the Santiam Pass or the Metolius River Basin are dying because they were sprayed with a deadly herbicide by the Forest Service and ODOT over the course of three consecutive years. 

The City of Bend has applied to continue using its archaic and imprecise method of diverting water from the source spring. With climate change, receding snow packs and glaciers will impact the springs meaning less and less water will flow over Tumalo Falls in the future.

Many dying trees along Highway 20 between Sisters and Black Butte are planned to be cut down because they were sprayed with a deadly herbicide over the course of three consecutive years. These aren’t just any trees, but trees that the public had earlier saved, and the killing of the trees was easily avoidable. 

The Oregon Hunters Association filed suit in federal district court to oppose the Forest Service's plan to build a 137-mile off-road vehicle trail system through the heart of elk and deer habitat in the Ochocos. 

Tumalo Creek provides a peaceful refuge, outdoor recreation opportunities and crystal-clear cold water to the Middle Deschutes River. Although it is known as one of Central Oregon’s iconic gems, the Bend City Council voted to build a $60+ million water project to take more water from the creek.
 

The "kid from Kansas" continues his tireless quest to preserve the local environment

As Ochoco National Forest officials prepare to finalize a decision setting up an off-highway vehicle trail system, some participants in the process consider suing and complain that a recent meeting did not allow a full discussion of their concerns

Since this article was published, LandWatch submitted an official objection to the Ochoco Summit Trail System proposal.