For decades, unbridled clearcutting fed the insatiable appetite of the timber industry. Oregon's ancient forests were the fodder. The Northwest Forest Plan of 1993 stopped most -- but not all -- old growth logging. Our goal is to make sure the best elements of the Northwest Forest Plan are effective and to halt all logging in old growth forests.
A walk in an ancient forest will put all your senses into high gear. The scent of Douglas fir and cedar needles wafts up as you walk through these ancient groves. Mounded needles and other organic material cushion your tread. You'll crane your neck: you'll have to if you hope to glimpse the heights of these towering trees. If blessed, you'll hear the barking call of the northern spotted owl. You might even see one as it swoops down for its prey.
You will feel the moistness on your face in this cool, shady forest. You can reach down and squeeze water out of a decaying log that even at summer's peak retains water like a sponge. You may also reflect on the sad fact that you walk in a remnant, for across the Pacific Northwest, 90 percent of our original old growth is gone.
A Plan, But With Loopholes
The Northwest Forest Plan of 1993 was developed to protect the endangered ancient forests of the Northwest (in Western Oregon, Washington, and Northern California) that were being cut down at an alarming rate. Their disappearance left wildlife species in danger of extinction, rivers and streams degraded, and the high quality of life Northwesterners depend on much diminished.
The plan permits some logging to give communities, businesses, and people time to diversify the economic base. By now, though, a decade after the plan took effect, the Northwest has diversified it's economic base, with the exception of a few communities. There is growing sentiment among conservationists, communities, foresters and the public at large that logging under the Northwest Forest Plan should be for purposes of restoration, not commodity production. (A discussion of such restoration forestry is found in "From Despair to Hope (pdf)," a report The Wilderness Society commissioned, written by Jim Furnish.
These facts notwithstanding, the Bush administration now seeks to weaken key provisions of the Northwest Forest Plan and to increase logging in ancient forests. When President Bush visited the Medford, Oregon, in summer 2002, he specifically said he wants to increase logging under the Northwest Forest Plan.
The Administration proposes to increase logging in old growth and mature forests by weakening several key protective features of the forest plan, including its aquatic conservation strategy and management protocols for key wildlife and plant species. The specific purpose of these provisions is to make certain that before the Forest Service allows logging in mature and old growth forests, it knows what species logging would adversely impact.
The Wilderness Society, working with such conservation partners as the Oregon Natural Resources Council, Umpqua Watersheds, Headwaters, Siskiyou Regional Education Project and Friends of Elk River, is committed to the permanent protection of our remaining ancient forests and mature forests. Protecting the core of the Northwest Forest Plan, while working to improve it at the margin, is the key to that protection.
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