April 1, 2013
By Rachael McDonald KLCC
The 150 acre Trapper Logging Project, originally meant to be an experiment in mimicking the effects of wildfire has been reduced to 44 acres. Still, a Eugene conservation group says the U-S Forest Service should call it off.
Trapper comes from a 1997 study designed to employ logging and prescribed burns to better understand the effects of wildfire. The forest land is near Blue River in Eastern Lane County. The Trapper project has been successfully challenged by the conservation group Cascadia Wildlands several times. Josh Laughlin is the group's campaign director.
Laughlin: "These are our federal public lands in the beloved McKenzie River watershed that we believe should be left standing for future generations to enjoy, to safeguard our drinking water supply."
A federal judge has ordered the Forest Service to do more thorough analysis for threatened species. McKenzie River District Ranger Terry Baker says the revised Trapper is no longer a learning experiment. The acreage had to be reduced to avoid damaging habitat for spotted owls. But the agency is under contract with Seneca Sawmills for the timber.
The Forest Service is holding a public meeting on the Revised Trapper Project Tuesday evening at 6 o'clock at the Hilton Garden Inn in Springfield.
Copyright 2013 KLCC.