CONGRESSWOMAN JAIME HERRERA BEUTLER, R-Camas, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director Dan Ashe led a roundtable discussion between area timber companies, pro-logging groups, scientists and members of the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
STEVENSON — The message coming from many in the Stevenson Community Library was clear — more logging in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest could restore forest health and help mitigate catastrophic wildfires.
But the group was divided on how many acres should be cut.
Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director Dan Ashe led a roundtable discussion between area timber companies, pro-logging groups, scientists and members of the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Fish and Wildlife in how to open up more logging within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. No one from the environmentalist community was in attendance.
The conversation brought together more than 35 individuals to share their opinions and ideas of a healthy forest and the ways to balance environmental concerns with economic viability of timber-dependent communities.
“The goal is for us to maintain healthy forests for communities and wildlife,” Herrera Beutler said. “There’s recognition for a group approach. Science shows we can selectively harvest while still protecting wildlife populations.”
Herrera Beutler argues that in the nearly 20 years since the Northwest Forest Plan was enacted, spotted owl populations have continued to decline, forests have become choked with hazardous wildfire fuels and rural communities have lost much needed revenue sources.
“When we’re talking about a downed tree, that’s releasing the greenhouse gas methane, that tree could be harvested and used in a biomass power operation,” she said.
Herrera Beutler also said that the amount of timber harvested from forests in the Northwest is far below what’s allowed under the NFP.
Many speakers from the timber industry argued that what is allowed is too low and that critical habitat areas are at risk for catastrophic fires due to mismanagement.
“We see them as unhealthy and at risk for huge fires around our communities, and our concern is we don’t see anything done about it,” said a member of the timber community. “We know you want to increase active management, but we don’t see it happening. “
Susan Hummel, a research forester with the Forest Service, said she is seeing a significant shift in of the Gifford Pinchot’s makeup. In many areas of the forest, tree species variety has declined with ponderosas and Douglas-firs disappearing and grand firs taking their places. Additionally, she said research has shown more dead trees and fewer living ones over a 30-year trend in the Gifford Pinchot.
One logger at the table called for a severe increase in timber harvest on federal lands to restore the health of the forest.
“Let’s define a healthy forest and walk toward that,” Ashe said. “Severely increasing timber harvests makes me nervous.”
Herrera Beutler said the purpose of meetings like this is to figure out how various parts of the forest can be micromanaged to meet the overall goal of improving forest health. She said that it doesn’t make sense to return to the old days of cutting huge swaths of timberlands, nor does it make sense to lock up the entire forest for the sake of environmental protection.
“It doesn’t have to be an either or,” she said. “There’s a future for us here if we’re willing to put down our fighting words. It needs to be a group approach.”
