In April 1999, a group of concerned Portland activists built a Tree Sit to protest logging in the Eagle Creek Municipal Watershed. Our Tree Sit consists of one large platform 150' high in a huge Old Growth Douglas Fir, and one lower platform suspended between 3 trees. We are prepared to stay here as long as is necessary to prevent logging at Eagle Creek. The Forest Service claims there is no Old Growth in this area. We invite you to visit our Tree Sit, to see that these are indeed Old Growth Trees.
The Eagle timber sale is located in the Mt. Hood national forest, near Estacada.
The designated harvest areas in the Eagle timber sale are natural ecosystems,
undisturbed by logging activity. The Forest Service maintains that
these stands are unhealthy and must be cut to maintain forest health.
This assertion is false. The Forest Service's own Watershed Analysis states that the Forests at Eagle Creek are in "good to excellent health." Reviewing the reasons used to justify
cutting in this area, one can only wonder how forests ever survived without
the Forest Service around to manage them. Quite the opposite is true.
For millions of years Nature has grown marvelous forests without the
help of the timber industry or the Forest Service. Two hundred
years ago Oregon was covered with giant healthy forests;
of that original area, less than 3% remains.
With so much taken in so little time, we feel it is crucial to protect all
of Oregon1s public forests from any kind of logging activity. Below is a list of
specific concerns that we, and many other groups, have regarding this timber sale.
I. Eagle Creek is a municipal watershed.
The Forest Service has identified the Eagle sale area as a Tier 2 Key Watershed.
This area feeds the water supply for West Linn, Lake Oswego, Oregon City, and is
a back up supply for Portland. Under the purpose and need section of the
Environmental Impact Statement, Objective 1 states -"Maintain and enhance the long
term health of the watershed for the production of high quality water." It is
unclear how the prescribed cutting measures will achieve this goal. In fact, the
Watershed Analysis recommends that only 10.3 million board feet per decade be extracted
from this watershed. In addition to any logging that has already occurred in this
area, the Eagle sale propose to remove 28 million board feet in 2 years.
In addition to the Eagle sale, Rusty Saw, a pending BLM sale in the same watershed
propose to remove another 5 million board feet. How is 33 million board feet
congruent with the sustainable measures recommended in the Watershed Analysis?
It is clear that the Forest Service is not concerned with maintaining and
enhancing water quality. An example of this disregard is found in the EIS
mitigation measures. Measure 12 requires - "Limited operating season during peak
sap flows to protect soil and water resources: operations would be limited
from 6/1 to 10/31. To minimize the potential for surface erosion road and landing
and log haul would not occur during period of prolonged rainfall." Last year the
Forest Service issued a waiver allowing logging operations to begin in April, during
the wettest spring in this century.
The Forest Service concedes that logging operations may cause some short term
damage to the water quality, but claims the long term effects will improve water
quality. This is an assumption based on questionable science, it is unlikely that
logging operations will have a long term positive effect on water quality. A prudent
policy would be to leave all trees standing, allowing the forest to change naturally
with no short or long term negative effects on water quality. This is the option
we support.
II. The Eagle timber sale will harm biodiversity.
The strength of an ecosystem is dependent on the diversity of species within
that ecosystem. (This is a law of ecology; it is not an assumption. It is a fact.)
The Forest Service has done no field surveys for many endangered, threatened, or
sensitive species that may live in this habitat. Yet such plant and animal
species have been found. If sold under current laws (instead of salvage rider
provisions) the presence of such species would require protections that could alter
the structure of the timber sale. In some cases the Forest Service claims that
cutting practices will not affect species they have never even surveyed for.
If they haven1t done the surveys then how can they assess that? We believe that a
new assessment should be conducted. This survey should be detailed and
comprehensive, accounting for the effects on all species that live in this habitat.
III. The Eagle timber sale will lose money.
The methods the Forest Service uses to calculate profitability are misleading;
they do not accurately reflect the real costs of preparing timber sales. Virtually
all timber sales on public land are sold at a loss. Nationwide this subsidy cost taxpayers 1.2 billion dollars between 1995 and 1997 (verified by the Congressional Research Service). Think about that the
next time you pay taxes. Under the Freedom of Information Act we are currently
filing for documentation of the total cost of the Eagle sale. We will make
this information available as soon as we receive it.
IV. The Eagle timber sale is illegal.
The Eagle sale was sold under the provisions of the 1995 Salvage Logging Rider.
The definition of salvage timber in the rider is based on subjective judgments
of forest health. Technically, any forest can fit the description. The rider also
contained provision that prohibit environmental litigation regarding the sale.
This prevents us from contesting any violations of environmental law in court.
For these reasons we believe the Salvage Rider is unconstitutional and all
timber sales sold under it are invalid. This is not a salvage sale, it does
not conform to USDA salvage guidelines. It does however violate guidelines
that prevent the cutting of healthy forests in roadless areas.
Eagle Creek is far too important to sacrifice for the profit of a few timber companies. This timber sale is clearly not in the public interest. The Forest Service has abused science to justify logging. Eagle Creek is a municipal watershed, and it is a healthy forest ecosystem. Even the logging company realized this. Last year Vanport Manufacturing offered to sell the sale back; the Forest Service refused their offer.
This is your forest, and we need your help to protect it.
contact us at eagleaction@hotmail.com
LATEST UPDATES FROM EAGLE CREEK
Last Updated 5/11/99
