Conservationists sue to save spotted owl logging protections -AP

So we are back in court again. The never ending battle by the timber industry to cut the last of the old growth on the Olympic Peninsula continues. Got news for the industry, overturning the protection of the Spotted Owl, which was impacted by rampant clear cutting of the Peninsula for raw logs to send to Japan and China is not going to save your jobs. The last “one log truck” left a mill in the early 70s, long before the Spotted Owl issue was decided. 

Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to preserve protections for 3.4 million acres (1.4 million hectares) of northern spotted owl habitat from the US-Canada border to northern California, the latest salvo in a legal battle over logging in federal old-growth forests that are key nesting grounds for the imperiled species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service cut the amount of protected federal old-growth forest by one-third in the final days of President Donald Trump’s administration, a move that was cheered by the timber industry. Gillian Flaccus reports. (Associated Press)

https://www.opb.org/article/2021/03/24/conservationists-sue-to-save-spotted-owl-logging-protections/

Judge permits timber harvest that environmentalists claim threatens marbled murrelet in Clallam and Jefferson counties – PDN

I’ll have a longer op-ed piece on this later today or tomorrow.

A Jefferson County judge has rejected a request for a temporary injunction against a state-approved harvest of 234 acres of timber on the West End adjacent to habitat of the threatened marbled murrelet…. Charlie Bermant reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

http://peninsuladailynews.com/article/20140615/NEWS/306159962/judge-permits-timber-harvest-that-environmentalists-claim-threatens

Controversial Olympic Peninsula Timber Sale Pits Environment Against Education – Earthfix

The battle to protect remaining stands of timber, that are home to the endangered marbled murrelet, continues. The State has decided to log off the stand, which are home to some pairs. A lawsuit is imminent. This is another good example of the environmental battle that happens as resources dwindle and we don’t have a proper modern taxing mechanism to fund our schools. The idea of cutting timber to fund schools was once a simple one, but now, it’s become a trade off of rare species vs. schools. It will take a brave legislator(s) to really end this practice and come up with a funding mechanism that properly funds our schools. It’s ironic, because the very district (Jefferson County) that probably thought this was a great idea once a 160 or so years ago, now is the one that brought the lawsuit demanding proper funding. And we are one of the most environmentally supportive counties in the state. I don’t see any legislators of the calibre to offer a new way forward. In fact, in conversations with them, they feel like they are unwilling to do anything more for the schools than they already have. Would love to be proven wrong.

SEATTLE — The Washington Board of Natural Resources voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the sale of 200 acres of the Olympic Peninsula that are home to the threatened marbled murrelet. The money from the timber sale will go to the University of Washington.

http://earthfix.kcts9.org/flora-and-fauna/article/controversial-olympic-peninsula-timber-sale-pits-e/

New Partnership Between Industry and NGOs on the Olympic National Forest

Representative Derek Kilmer has convened a new partnership organization that is bought into by both industry and environmental NGOs to try and break the log jam (pun intended) in both timber harvest and forest protection.  It appears to be welcome by all parties. This is Representative Kilmer’s first real foray into moving towards solution. Since election he has primarily focused on listening to the various parties. Anything that gets the various factions talking is work in a positive direction.  Devil is always in the details.  A couple of them might be a lack of Tribal representation and a lack of workers, like unions. We’ll see if he addresses those shortcomings in the next few weeks.

Here’s the press release. More analysis on this at a later date.

—————————————————

FROM THE OFFICE OF CONGRESSMAN DEREK KILMER

Representing Washington’s 6th District  

 

EMBARGOED UNTIL 10:30AM                                                   CONTACT: Stephen Carter

December 2nd, 2013                                                                                       (202) 225-3459

New Partnership Aims to Improve Environmental Quality and Economic Vitality of

Olympic National Forest

 

Representative Derek Kilmer and a group of conservation, timber and local government stakeholders today announced the formation of new partnership called the Olympic Peninsula Collaborative. Members of the partnership approved the following statement to explain its purpose and goals:

The Olympic Peninsula Collaborative will bring together stakeholders from the environmental community, the timber industry, and representatives from federal and local government around shared goals of increasing timber harvest from the Olympic National Forest while benefitting the environmental quality of our forests and watersheds. The Collaborative will work together and with federal officials to address issues that stand in the way of achieving the stated goals. Ultimately, the purpose is to show we can simultaneously create a more environmentally sound forest, provide for increased, sustainable timber harvests on the Olympic National Forest, and provide economic benefits to timber communities on the Peninsula.

Goals include:

·         Increasing the amount of acres treated and total harvest volume produced in forest restoration projects under the Northwest Forest Plan and increasing the number and footprint of aquatic and other non-thinning related restoration projects.

·         Creating a framework of agreement on the type and locations of forest restoration treatments that benefit the ecosystem and provide for increased harvest levels under the Northwest Forest Plan.

·         Improving treatment effectiveness and working to reduce the time and cost required to plan and prepare projects through increased efficiencies for the Forest Service.

·         Creating a framework of agreement around innovative forest practices, treatments and techniques that integrate ecological, social, and economic goals, and exploring whether the Adaptive Management Area (AMA) established under the Northwest Forest Plan provides an opportunity to test these alternative approaches.

·         Collaborating on specific projects, as needed, to create an environment that reduces conflict and seeks to achieve a common vision about the future of the Olympic National Forest.

·         Creating a forum for addressing any problems that stand in the way of accomplishing our stated goals with the active involvement of federal elected and agency officials.

Organizations and representatives supporting the Olympic Peninsula Collaborative include:

American Forest Resource Council

American Whitewater

Cosmo Specialty Fibers

Green Creek Wood Products

Interfor

Merrill & Ring

The Mountaineers

Murphy Company

Olympic Park Associates

Olympic Forest Coalition

Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society

Pew Charitable Trusts

Sierra Pacific Industries

Simpson Lumber Company

Washington Wild

Wild Olympics Campaign

The Olympic Peninsula Collaborative, modeled on similar partnerships elsewhere in Washington state and around the country, is a grassroots, stakeholder driven partnership and the first of its kind to be solely devoted to building greater consensus around public lands on the Olympic Peninsula.  Since early this year, Representative Kilmer has convened discussions with a wide variety of stakeholders on solutions to problems facing the Olympic National Forest including a field hearing in August in Port Angeles dealing with collaborative forest harvest agreements.

“I have always said that we don’t have to choose between economic development and environmental protection. This is the beginning of a long-term partnership that I hope will help prove that’s true,” said Representative Derek Kilmer. “The Olympic Peninsula Collaborative will show we can build consensus and can bring folks together to simultaneously create a more environmentally healthy forest, provide for increased, sustainable timber harvests on the Olympic National Forest, and provide economic benefits to timber communities on the Peninsula.”

“We thank Congressman Kilmer for bringing all parties to the table to focus on areas where we agree rather than disagree.” said Olympic Forest Coalition President Connie Gallant and Olympic Park Associates Vice President Tim McNulty in a joint statement. “This collaborative process will improve habitat conditions in the forests and streams on the Olympic Peninsula for a range of species. Currently, there are thousands of acres of dense and structurally simple forest on the ONF that provide poor habitat. Increasing the amount of carefully designed, habitat restoration thinning treatments in these types of forests will improve diversity and encourage the development of more complex, older forest conditions. Combining thinning with holistic watershed restoration projects will improve water quality and fish & wildlife habitat. OFCO and OPA will be helping to craft and monitor these projects to ensure they follow the best available science and the Northwest Forest Plan.”

“The current approach to managing the Olympic National Forest is not meeting the economic, social, and ecological needs of the forest or communities on the Peninsula.  Common sense solutions to create jobs through increased active, sustainable timber management on the Olympic National Forest is urgently needed to address chronic local unemployment and poverty rates that are among the highest in the state and nearly double those of the Seattle area,” said Matt Comisky, Washington Manager of the American Forest Resource Council.  “The volume of timber currently harvested from the Olympic National Forest is less than 10 percent of historic levels, only 13 percent of the volume of timber that dies each year, and a mere 3 percent of the annual forest growth.  Our industry looks forward to working with Congressman Kilmer and other partners to promote more balanced, innovative approaches to timber management that provide a sustainable future for our industry and the local communities as part of continued discussions about the future of the Olympic National Forest.”

Timber Group Challenges Spotted Owl Plan

Not much news on this yet.

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — A timber industry group has filed a lawsuit challenging the latest habitat protections for the northern spotted owl, a threatened species.

http://earthfix.kcts9.org/flora-and-fauna/article/timber-group-challenges-spotted-owl-plan/

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