Environmental groups are seeking a temporary restraining order to protect an old-growth forest 37 miles southwest of Eugene that they say is being cut down illegally.
The plaintiffs on the lawsuit are Eugene’s Cascadia Wildlands and Portland-based Crag Law Center and Oregon Wild.
The suit claims that, during two recent visits to an area west of Yoncalla, volunteers from Cascadia Wildlands found multiple trees estimated to be more than 170 years old and more than 40 inches in diameter had been cut down.
Timber harvesting in the area, which the U.S. Bureau of Land Management dubbed the “Blue and Gold Project,” is supposed to be on hold as another lawsuit plays out.
That suit claims that BLM officials wrongly put the land up for timber auction because it contained old-growth forest that should be protected by the agency’s rules.
"I think BLM is the party that’s speaking out of both sides of its mouth,” said Cascadia Wildlands Legal Director Nick Cady. “On one hand, it’s selling people this timber. On the other hand, it’s promising the court that it won’t be logged. And so I think a series of misrepresentations are finally catching up with the agency."
BLM did not return a request for comment from KLCC.
The suit seeking the restraining order also claims that the area has been dubbed seasonal habitat for the spotted owl, which is currently listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
“We were under the impression that logging wouldn’t be allowed,” said Cady. “There’s usually seasonal restrictions in such areas until July-ish, and so we were caught very off-guard by the logging. We have ongoing concerns with that aspect of the project as well and we’re currently flagging those to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to see if there’s ongoing take of northern spotted owls.”
The suit’s other defendant, the American Forest Resource Council, told KLCC it does not represent the company that holds the timber rights to the area where trees were allegedly cut.
