Biscuit Fire Salvage Logging Fight

People Fighting to Save the Ancient Forest

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"We're here today to bring the demands of the public to the front doors of the Forest Service. Logging is not restoration. This wasteful project will increase fire hazard, harm the local nature-based economy, hurt the regeneration of the forest, and cost the taxpayers millions of dollars," said the protestor perched in the tripod.

The US Forest Service has systematically undermined the public process for participating in land management decisions related to this project. When the USFS first proposed the Biscuit Fire Recovery Project, they received over 23,000 comments from the public, more than 95% of them expressing opposition and outrage. In response, the Bush Administration gave the USFS unprecedented new powers to declare "emergency exemptions" and deny the citizens who commented their legal right to appeal the final decision.

The Siskiyou Mountains of Southwest Oregon contain the largest expanse of wildlands left on the west coast of the US and are internationally recognized for the extraordinary biodiversity they support. The Siskiyou National Forest is the most botanically diverse in the nation, and the Siskiyou Wild Rivers Area contains the highest concentration of federally-designated Wild and Scenic Rivers in the lower 48.

The Biscuit Logging Project targets 31 square miles of sensitive forest areas, including thousands of acres of roadless areas. This extreme logging is fraudulently billed as restoration, contradicting the opinions of respected scientists, such as Northwest Forest Plan architect Jerry Franklin. The majority of Americans are opposed to the continued logging of native and old growth forests on public lands, yet the US Forest Service continues to undermine the process of public participation while catering to the demands of the timber industry.
 

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