Juniper Group Forest Goals

Lava Cast Collaborative Field Trip with Forest Service and Nature Conservancy, photo by Larry Pennington The Juniper Group area contains six major National Forests. In each of these forests we seek to return forest as quickly as possible to a natural long-term growth pattern that shelters and sustains wildlife while protecting soil structural integrity. This means ceasing logging and so-called "vegetation management" in remote areas so a natural old growth structure can return through the natural processes of forest growth cycles and periodic fires. Where human activity is adjacent to the forests, any necessary management to reduce wildfire hazards caused by prior abuse of the forests must be done in accordance with the latest peer-reviewed science. Forest Management Plans must place a priority on supporting the needs of wildlife and biodiversity. The priceless role forests play in watershed purity and seasonal flow buffering must be preserved. We seek to work with Forest Service managers in a cooperative way to accomplish these objectives.

Oregon Eastside Forests Committee

In late 2009 the Oregon Chapter established an Oregon Eastside Forests Committee tasked with focusing the Sierra Club preservation efforts for those federal forests east of the Cascades Crest. These forests have issues that differ from forests in other areas of the state. The Oregon Eastside Oregon Forests Committee advocates management of these forests based on recognition of our unique eastside ecology and objectives.

The Committee’s activities focus on:

• protecting the forests from non-science-based logging and “vegetation management” projects
• preservation of mature and old growth forests
• restoration and protection of riparian areas
• maintenance of existing roadless areas
• advocacy of Forest Management Plans and Travel Management Plans that are based on ecological science, natural recreation, imperiled species recovery, and long-term forest and soil resilience
• wildlife preservation and recovery
• curtailment of harms from widespread livestock grazing
• creation of environmentally sound jobs based on forest restoration and protection

These objectives will be accomplished through:

• Recruitment of volunteers throughout the area to be eyes, ears, advocates, and workers in the forests
• Waldo Lake from South Twin Peak, photo by Larry PenningtonPromote protection of a Central Oregon forest area that possesses an old growth nature, abundant wildlife content,  a special esthetic value, and/or unique quiet recreation potential. Develop a campaign to promote an increased federal or state protection status for these areas. The Committee has selected the area that lies east and south of Waldo Lake in the Deschutes and Willamette National Forests for this protection campaign. See our Keep Waldo Wild page for how you can join this campaign.
• Participation in biomass discussions with the Forest Service, industry groups, and politicians to insure adequate research is conducted to identify a truly sustainable biomass harvest level that is compatible with long term forest and wildlife health
• Participate in Forest Service and BLM project field trips and meetings to promote an environmental perspective
• Support formal written comments and appeals by volunteers and Sierra Club staff on federal projects and management plans
• Collaboration with other environmental organizations to achieve our forest preservation and restoration goals.

For more information on the goals and planned activities of this committee, open the Oregon Eastside Forests Committee Workplan. If you would like to serve as a committee member, or as a non-member issue or geographical area advisor to the committee, contact the Chair Larry Pennington.

Oregon Chapter Forest Goals

Also read the Oregon Chapter Forests in Oregon page for statewide Sierra Club forest goals.

Oregon's National Forests

Oregon is blessed with beautiful National Forests: from the coasts to the High Cascades to Hell's Canyon. Click on the map to open a larger version.

Oregon's National Forests (Click on the image to open a larger version)