U.S. Forest Service

Republican-led policy directives could rewrite forest policies that affect public lands in Oregon and the rest of the West.

The central Oregon coast is infused with federal money, has branches of many federal agencies and is home to its hundreds of its employees.

Around a hundred community members showed up to the U.S. Forest Service office in Medford on Wednesday night for a public meeting about proposed amendments to the Northwest Forest Plan.

The surprise move brings an abrupt end to a yearslong process to craft a nationwide plan that would better protect old trees that are increasingly threatened by climate change.

U.S. officials would allow increased logging on federal lands across the Pacific Northwest in the name of fighting wildfires and boosting rural economies under proposed changes to a sweeping forest management plan that’s been in place for three decades.

In a typical year, the agency hires more than 1,000 summer workers for temporary roles in Oregon and Washington’s federal forests.

The Umpqua National Forest has received four point eight million dollars from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for efforts to reduce wildfire risks-- now and into the future.

Fire crews are already spread thin across dozens of large Oregon wildfires. Officials say conditions will likely get worse before they get better.

A conservation group says it’s going to sue the U.S. Forest Service for failing to protect a rare and threatened species in Oregon.

Crews rescued a woman who fell several hundred feet on the mountain in November.

Weekend showers and cool, overnight temps are helping put a damper on regional wildfires. But survey crews say there’s still need for caution in severely burned areas.And as it turns out, there’s a map for that.

The U.S. Forest Service is hiring Wildland Firefighters in Oregon and Washington. About 150 permanent positions will be filled in September.