FEDERATION OF WESTERN OUTDOOR CLUBS

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BAKED APPLE TIMBER SALE

In the Umpqua National Forest, an arson fire in 2002 (the Apple Fire) burned 17,900 acres.  A report from the Umpqua National Forest in 2003 indicates that even considering the unnatural landscape (a previous clearcut) and human-caused ignition source among some old growth, the mosaic burn of the fire was well within what is considered a "natural" and healthy burn, not "catastrophic."

The response by the Forest Service was to plan one of the largest timber sales in the history of this forest, naming it the Baked Apple Fire Salvage Project.  The plan was to log over 41 million board feet of timber from 917 acres in the North Umpqua Ranger District.  The first of the sales took place August 18, 2004: the 3.9 million board feet "Apple Crisp Fire Salvage Timber Sale."

The Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs urges the Forest Service to emphasize the recovery of the ecosystem in managing the area burned in the Apple Fire, and to follow the recommendations of the respected Oregon State University, Beschta Report.  Those recommendations include:

-- leaving at least 50% of dead trees under 20" in diameter;

-- leaving all dead trees over 20" in diameter;

-- leaving all dead trees older than 150 years;

-- not logging on erosive, fragile or steep slopes; and

-- not building any new roads.

The FWOC also urges the Forest Service not to log in Late Successional Reserves in any future proposals.

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