Umatilla National Forest Archive

This page contains projects that are completed, inactive, cancelled, or were changed or stopped through our involvement. Information on these projects is retained to facilitate continued monitoring of the impact of the projects over time, or to provide a reference when new projects are proposed in the same vicinity. Currently active and planned projects can be found in the Take Action section on the Umatilla NF page.

Page Contents

More information on most of these projects can be found on the Umatilla NF NEPA Reading Room web page.

Heppner Ranger District

Wildcat I Fuels Reduction and Vegetation Management Project

Wildcat Timber Sale
photo by Karen Coulter Wildcat Timber Sale
photo by Karen Coulter Wildcat Timber Sale
photo by Karen Coulter The Umatilla National Forest withdrew the Wildcat timber sale decision on the eve of the Forest Service legal response to our lawsuit due in Federal Court.

Similar to Cobbler and Farley, which were withdrawn under appeals, the victory is likely a temporary reprieve that we will have to challenge once again after the Forest Service conducts new public NEPA processes – subject to new comment and appeal periods and subsequent legal review in federal court(s) – unless their logging plans are significantly revised to incorporate the recommendations of credible scientific research and the ecological needs of the forests, wildlife, and fish. Read the entire Wildcat Withdrawal News Release. The Sierra Club in conjunction with the League of Wilderness Defenders - Blue Mountain Biodiversity Project appealed this project to the Regional Forester in April 2009. The full text of this appeal can be read at Wildcat Project Appeal.

This 25,450 acre project area is located in the central portion of the Heppner District, between Skookum Creek on the West and Ditch Creek on the east, encompassing tributaries to Little Wall Creek and the North Fork John Day River. The project authorizes commercial logging on 1,943 acres; mechanical fuels reduction of dead and down ladder fuels on 2,113 acres; noncommercial thinning on 2,878 acres; and "prescribed" fire on 10,288 acres. The decision includes the construction of 5.3 miles of so-called "temporary" road and decommissioning 2.4 miles of existing closed road in riparian areas. The decision includes a Forest Plan amendment to log trees >21" diameter breast height (dbh) across 12 acres, purportedly as part of aspen “restoration.” The Decision Notice fails to disclose the board foot volume for the selected alternative as modified. The decision approves soil-damaging ground-based tractor, forwarder, and skyline commercial logging across the entirety of the project’s 4,046 acres of commercial logging and mechanical fuels treatment areas; using tractors on 698 acres, forwarders on 2,867 acres, and skyline systems on 93 acres. The project would construct 5.3 miles of new "temporary" roads, re-open 41 miles of closed roads, and operate on an additional 39 miles of open roads in the project area. The decision also includes landscape burning across 10,288 acres with burn control lines including the use of mechanical equipment along 9.6 miles of logging units and hand or wet line on another 6.3 miles along precommercial thinning units. The project includes logging within Copple Butte and Mahogany Flat/Skookum Canyon and Madison Butte roadless areas.

Implementation of the Wildcat Project as decided would significantly harm the area’s varied forest environments and dependent wildlife species, while failing to meet the project’s purported ecological purpose and need objectives. The extent of planned logging activities far exceeds the limited extent of small diameter tree thinning scientifically capable of achieving reduced risk of uncharacteristic fires, and/or insect and disease disturbance events. Logging of mature and old fire resistant trees, logging in mixed conifer forest habitat, logging in historical mixed fire severity systems, logging and management actions in uninventoried roadless areas, road building, heavy machinery use, and ongoing livestock grazing will adversely impact forest ecology; biodiversity; vegetation; soils; wildlife, avian, botanical and aquatic species of concern populations and habitat; salmonid watersystems including roadless areas, riparian areas, headwaters and waterways; resulting in further degradation of the ecological integrity, wildlife habitat, soil hydrology, and aquatic systems in and around the project area. (11-16-09)

Wildcat II Fuels Management Timber Sale

Wildcat II is a reissue of the Wildcat project first proposed in March 2007. This original project was appealed by the Sierra Club in April 2009. The project was subsequently withdrawn by the Forest Service in November 2009 (see Wildcat I article above).

This revised project proposes to conduct 13,700 acres of "vegetation and fuels management", which will include 2146 acres of commercial logging, 2058 acres of mechanical fuels treatment, 3125 acres of non-commercial thinning, 10,288 acres of controlled burning, construction of 5.8 miles of new roads, and reopening of 37 miles of closed roads. The Wildcat II scoping notice was issued in December 11, 2009 and Sierra Club submitted comments on this notice January 7, 2010. The Environmental Assessment (EA) was subsequently issued by the Forest Service on March 22, 2010 with very little incorporation of the scoping comments provided in January. The Forest Service documents related to this project can be found on the Umatilla NEPA Reading Room. Our scoping comments can be read at Wildcat II Scoping Comments.

The Wildcat II project remains nearly identical with the originally proposed Wildcat I Project. Changes in the Wildcat II EA are largely limited to selectively augmenting the analysis to bolster harmful logging plans, with primarily cosmetic changes in analysis language. The purpose and need premise, analysis, and action alternatives significantly diverge from scientifically supportable ecologically appropriate methods to effectively "improve the health, and vigor of the upland forests, and reduce the potential for future fires of uncharacteristic effects in upland forests." It also fails the expert, reasonableness, accuracy, and scientific requirements of the NEPA, reaffirmed in President Obama’s March 9th, 2009 Scientific Integrity Memorandum. Overall the Wildcat II Project significantly fails to incorporate the reasonable recommendations of credible environmental scientific research to protect and retain all mature and old trees and forest ecological structure; to restrict ecologically limited thinning actions to frequent low severity fire ponderosa pine forest systems and avoid such actions in mixed conifer and mixed fire severity systems; to prevent logging and road building degradation in uninventoried roadless area forests; to protect ecologically functioning areas; to protect and restore salmonid watersystems and populations; to provide for the habitat protection and recovery, and population recovery of the many listed species and species of concern throughout the project area; and to protect ecologically foundational forest soil communities and hydrological functioning upon which resilient trees and forest ecosystems depend.

The EA comments submitted by the Oregon Chapter Sierra Club and the League Of Wilderness Defenders-Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project request that the EA be rescinded and reissued as full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). This EIS must address:

• Avoid commercial logging in mixed fire severity ecosystems, including mixed conifer, moist, and high elevation forests;
• Prohibit logging, road building, and ecologically degrading disruptive management actions in roadless areas, including uninventoried roadless;
• Provide for viable dispersal habitat connectivity and forest structure for species of concern within and adjacent to the Wildcat Project area;
• Maintain forest stand structure and ecological integrity specific to natural plant association groups (and corresponding aspect, elevation, localized climatic patterns, and varied natural fire cycles);
• Provide for the habitat needs and both short and long term recovery of wildlife, aquatic, and botanical species of concern throughout the greater project area;
• Retain all inherently fire resistant trees with mature and old characteristics throughout the project’s ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, and riparian system forests;
• Utilize strategically-placed limited land area treatments appropriate for low and limited mixed fire severity ponderosa pine forests, allowing interior ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, mixed fire severity forests to undergo natural cycles and ecological processes;
• Protect soils by requiring low impact light machinery and ecologically protective methodology in all forest areas where machinery is employed;
• Protect riparian areas by prohibiting machinery use and commercial logging in and upslope of these locations, and by preventing sedimentation and erosion from project actions, including surface and airborne sedimentation;
• Seasonal restrictions on project implementation protecting avian species during nesting and fledging periods;
• Seasonal restrictions on project actions protecting terrestrial and botanical species during the vulnerable spring season;
• Reduce road density to within LRMP standards and wildlife thresholds; eliminate all new road construction including so-called “temporary roads” (this term is scientifically invalid and violates NEPA accuracy requirements);
• Protect planned management action areas, including burning sites, from post-project disturbance to recovering soil communities, vegetation, riparian areas, and wildlife; including prohibiting livestock grazing in these locations one year pre-project implementation and five to ten years post-project completion;
• Protect the project’s more open forest terrain from OHV intrusions and abuse and other disturbance harms during and post-project implementation;

The full text of our comments can be read at Wildcat II EA Comments.

The Sierra Club strongly requests that the Umatilla National Forest significantly revise or completely drop the Wildcat II project due to the lack of scientific foundation, and the harms that will occur if executed as currently written. As discussed in our December 2009 meeting with the Forest Service, we encourage the agency to fully assess more appropriately located projects in previously logged, roaded, and management impaired ponderosa pine dry forests in the Umatilla’s Hepner District, where greater scientific support and conservation common ground may exist for a legally and ecologically viable project. (5-1-10)

West End ORV Project

This project includes 91,000 acres of National Forest System lands located on the west side of the Heppner Ranger District west of Forest Road 22 and consists of portions of the Upper Rock Creek, Wall Creek, and Lower John Day River-Kahler Creek watersheds. The agency has proposed designating 233 miles of roads for ORV use, including 207 miles for Class II vehicles. An Environmental Assessment was issued by the Heppner Ranger District on August 24, 2009 (see NEPA Reading Room - Proposed Projects).

The Sierra Club has jointly appealed this project to the Forest Supervisor, Umatilla National Forest, on October 9, 2009, along with League of Wilderness Defenders - Blue Mountain Biodiversity Project, Grant County Conservationists, and Oregon Wild. The appeal requests withdrawal and/or significant modification decision that authorizes the designation of ORV trail systems The full text of this appeal can be read at West End ORV Project EA Appeal.

The appeal is based on several significant environmental concerns that necessitate analysis in an EIS. The planned ORV trail system is extensive and authorizes ORV use: at the edge of a Research Natural Area (RNA); within several designated old growth areas that are essential for natural wildlife habitat; within wildlife connective habitat; across and alongside of critically important salmonid waterways; within the area’s only public lake recreational campground where such waters are rare and highly valued for their natural serenity and qualities; adjacent to private lands including residences; adjacent to uninventoried roadless areas; and within elk and deer winter range and calving areas. All of these locations are highly valued for their natural resource qualities by the public, and provide critically important natural habitat for many of the area’s ESA and regionally listed species, management indicator species, and species of concern. All of these locations are clearly highly incompatible with ORV noise, impacts, and disturbance. Considering this intensity, the EA analysis fails to adequately address issues of increased ORV activity in designated trail systems. Similarly, the EA fails to accurately disclose and address the Forest Service’s extremely limited ability to enforce ORV regulations and prohibitions, especially pertaining to such an extensive trail system area. In addition, the project area contains a number of wetlands, including Bull Prairie Lake, salmonid watersystems with critical habitat for ESA listed species and Regional sensitive species, and provides upstream water sources affecting the quality of aquatic habitat for salmonid species in the North Fork John Day River system downstream of the project area. The project area also includes the only remaining old growth habitat, a proposed Research Natural Area, an uninventoried roadless habitat, and an elk winter range, all of which would be impacted by proposed ORV trail systems that would cut through and/or immediately adjacent to these ecologically critical areas.

Volunteer help is needed in documenting ongoing ORV harms. As part of the EA comments, local volunteers collected over 200 signatures on a petition opposing the Forest Service’s widespread ORV systems. Continuing collection of this information will greatly support the success of this appeal. (10-14-09)

Potamus Project

A newly proposed large-scale "vegetation management and fuels reduction" logging-thinning project that spans the eastern half of the Heppner District from recreationally popular Penland Lakes to the scenic “Grand Canyon of the Umatilla” – Potamus Canyon. This is in the early planning stages, with issues of serious conservation concern including important roadless and old growth forest areas, wildlife habitat and imperiled species, the scenic ecologically amazing Potamus Canyon, and salmonid watersystems and forested spring headwaters. Volunteer help is needed in monitoring, influencing, and addressing agency plans as these develop, and hiking the greater project area including proposed management units, documenting conditions and conservation concerns. (5-07-09)

Notch Road

Ongoing volunteer efforts addressing harmful impacts to wildlife, old growth forest, and steelhead spawning habitat in Alder Creek from the misuse of Title II funds to build this unwarranted road. Title II funds are Congressionally directed for use only by projects that enhance the environment rather than harm it. Volunteers are also addressing the Forest Service’s planned thinning, roadside logging, and ORVs systems in the same greater forest area across the west side of the District. Volunteers in the area joined us on a District field trip in the fall of 2008 with agency staff, reviewing ecological and legal issues related to Wheeler County’s Notch road construction into an old forest wildlife area, excessive roadside “danger” tree logging, illegal unauthorized logging occurring on the district, planned small diameter thinning of dense young planted stands – and the long-term recovery objectives for these areas, and ORV trail system plans for the district (under the West End ORV project – see above). Efforts are ongoing, with additional documentation, monitoring, and legal help needed. (5-07-09)

Swale C&H Grazing Allotment Renewal

The Forest Service is proposing to renew this grazing allotment, which encompasses approximately 27,051 acres of Umatilla National Forest public lands within Morrow and Grant Counties. The allotment contains many areas of significant ecological concern. Additionally, the proposed allotment renewal area is within the planned Wildcat Project (see above) logging, thinning, burning, and road construction areas. While Wildcat is currently under going federal judicial review, significant cumulative impacts issues exist throughout the allotment area, especially if some portion of the Wildcat project is eventually implemented. Similarly, proposed Umatilla Invasive Plant Treatment Project actions that may affect the allotment area, the proposed Potamus Vegetation Management Project (see above), as well as management actions on adjoining BLM and private lands all have cumulative impacts issues that musts be addressed in conjunction with the proposed allotment renewal. Given the significance of natural resource concerns, we request that an EIS NEPA analysis be conducted for this proposed grazing allotment renewal; and that the agency take responsible interim measures including grazing deferrals and/or termination as necessary to ensure the natural environment is protected through the duration of the requisite NEPA analysis period. The full text of the Sierra Club comments can be read at Swale C&H Grazing Allotment Scoping Comments, September 22, 2009. (9-29-09)

Monument Fire timber sale

The Heppner Ranger District utilized Bush-era regulations to circumvent the nation’s legally requisite environmental analysis and science based project requirements for this post-fire logging project. The resulting 234 acre timber was fast-tracked and logged before our appeal and any legal judicial process could effectively protect the area’s burned recovering forests from further harm. The Monument fire burned approximately 13,000 acres of Umatilla NF lands, including roadless areas, salmonid creeks, and wildlife winter range. The Monument fire timber sale, in combination with impacts from fire suppression and adjacent logging projects, further harmed the natural ecological qualities including wildlife habitat and salmonid watersystems. Volunteer help will be needed through 2009 to hike-survey the logging and greater fire area, assess impacts from the Forest Service’s logging and other management actions, and the ongoing recovery processes and needs in this important salmonid forest watershed. The Sierra Club appeal of this project is at Monument Fire Salvage Recovery Project CE Appeal, August 2008. (5-07-09)

North Fork John Day Ranger District

Farley Vegetation Management Project

The District Ranger of the North Fork John Day Ranger District, Umatilla National Forest issued a statement withdrawing the Farley logging project during the week of October 19th. This withdrawal followed the appeal of this timber sale by the Sierra Club and the Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project, with the assistance of the Crag Law Center and Oregon scientists (see details below). For more information on this good news, read the Farley Withdrawal News Release.

Farley Timber Sale
photo by Karen Coulter Farley Timber Sale
photo by Karen Coulter Located in the District's Desolation Creek watershed, the analysis area encompasses 70,000 acres of forests. The project is located in critically important mid and high elevation remote forests which provide some of eastern Oregon’s best remaining wildlife habitat, including the connectivity with wilderness and roadless wild lands needed by far ranging wildlife species, including wolverine, lynx, and wolves. The area is important habitat for imperiled species including goshawks, forest woodpeckers and cavity nesters, and migrant birds. Located on steep slopes above essential salmon habitat considered to be among the best remaining salmon waterways in the west, logging and building roads as proposed by the Forest Service would harm salmon recovery, wildlife habitat, and the ecological integrity of the region’s forests.

The Farley Vegetation Management Project Final Environmental Impact Statement was issued in June 2009. The Record of Decision was also issued in June 2009. The chosen alternative (the “Farley Project”) authorizes commercial and noncommercial logging on over 7,000 acres of land along with associated ground-disturbing activities. Pile burning and prescribed burning will occur on over 2,700 acres of land. The Farley Project involves 9.5 miles of new road (“temporary”) construction and 36 miles of reconstructed roads. The complete Forest Service documentation for this project can be read on the Umatilla NF NEPA Reading Room - Proposed Projects. This page includes maps for each alternative considered. Comments were submitted on the draft EIS in October 2008 (see Farley Vegetation Management Project Draft EIS Comments and Farley Vegetation Management Project Draft EIS Additional Comments).

The Sierra Club and the Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project, with the assistance of attorneys from the Crag Law Center, appealed this project on September 11, 2009. The appeal is based on a number of significant shortcomings in disclosures of the impacts and in the science used in support of the proposals contained in the Farley Project FEIS and the Record of Decision. The FEIS conflates the need to enter certain lower elevation forests to alter stand composition as a reason to enter into moderate to higher elevation mixed conifer and sub-alpine fir forests. The entry into more moist and sub-alpine mixed conifer forests for purposes of increasing resilience to wildfire and insect outbreaks is not supported by any credible ecological research in the FEIS. The decision approves soil-damaging ground-based tractor, forwarder, and skyline commercial logging across thousands of acres. The project would re-open many miles of closed and seasonally closed roads, construct new roads and build "temporary" roads which would nonetheless continue to have impacts for decades to come. The decision will authorize the creation of large landings and authorize machine piling and burning (which creates large craters of mineralized soil) across hundreds of acres. The FEIS claims the project will "maximizes the economic benefits to the regional and local economy" while lacking substantive economic data to credibly support this claim, but this does not square with the management designation for the land. The decision would generate wood products from commercial logging at a time when there is little economic feasibility or societal need or demand for wood products, including saw logs and wood fiber. The full text of the appeal can be read at Farley Appeal 9-11-2009. Three attachment documents are also available on the Comments and Appeals page.

The project must be revised to incorporate actions and protective provisions recommended by credible scientific research, as follows:

• Avoid commercial logging in mixed fire severity ecosystems, including mixed conifer, moist, and high elevation forests;
• Remove project aspects that authorize logging, road building, and ecologically degrading disruptive management actions in uplands set aside for fish recovery and the remaining roadless areas;
• Provide for viable dispersal habitat connectivity and forest structure for species of concern within and adjacent to the Farley Project area;
• Maintain forest stand structure and ecological integrity specific to current and likely future natural plant association groups (and corresponding aspect, elevation, localized climatic patterns, and varied natural fire cycles);
• Provide for the habitat needs and both short and long term recovery of wildlife, aquatic, and botanical species of concern throughout the greater project area;
• Retain fire resistant (generally 12 inches DBH or higher) trees with mature and old characteristics throughout the project’s ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, hardwood, and riparian system forests;
• Utilize strategically-placed limited land area treatments appropriate for low and limited mixed fire severity ponderosa pine forests, allowing interior ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, mixed fire severity forests to undergo natural cycles and ecological processes;
• Protect soils by requiring low impact light machinery and ecologically protective methodology in all forest areas where machinery is employed;
• Protect riparian areas by prohibiting machinery use and commercial logging in and upslope of these locations, and by preventing sedimentation and erosion from project actions, including surface and airborne sedimentation;
• Seasonal restrictions on project implementation protecting avian species during nesting and fledging periods;
• Seasonal restrictions on project actions protecting terrestrial and botanical species during the vulnerable spring season;
• Reduce road density to within LRMP standards and wildlife thresholds; eliminate all new road construction including so-called “temporary roads” which are only temporary as to their use, not their effects (this term is scientifically invalid and violates NEPA accuracy requirements);
• Provide details on protection of the planned management action areas (landings, pile burning sites) from post-project disturbance to recovering soil communities, vegetation, riparian areas, and wildlife, including details on prohibiting livestock grazing in these locations at least one year pre-project implementation and five to ten years post-project completion with the proviso that the protection continue until the affected area evidences native species vegetative, soil community, and hydrological system recovery;
• Protect the project’s more open forest terrain from ORV intrusions and abuse and other disturbance harms during and post-project implementation;
• And any other provisions as ecologically appropriate and consistent with the points noted in this appeal.

The appeal requests the Forest Service to withdraw the FEIS and ROD, and modify the FEIS to address the objections presented. They must also ensure consistency with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), National Forest Management Act (NFMA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), the Administrative Procedures Act (APA), these statutes' implementing regulations, the Umatilla National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (DLRMP) as amended by the Regional Forster’s "Eastside Screens" Directive, the Interior Columbia Basin Eastside Ecosystem Management Project scientific recommendations, and the March 9th, 2009 Scientific Integrity Memorandum issued by President Barack H. Obama.

The Sierra Club considers this appeal to be a significant summary of the science based issues with much of the current implementation of "vegetation management" and "Healthy Forests Restoration Act" projects. The eventual outcome of this appeal, or subsequent appeals, may establish a strong precedent for how future projects are designed throughout the Northwest. (10-23-09)

Mirage Vegetation Management Project

This project encompasses 29,817 acres located in Grant County approximately 7 to 9 air miles south of Dale. There are 4,414 acres of designated Big Game, 7,690 acres of designated Wildlife Habitat, and an undisclosed acreage of designated Riparian areas within the analysis area. The scoping notice designates 2,487 acres of these ecologically important areas are for logging and other management disturbance actions. The actions proposed in the notice for the Mirage Project are scientifically controversial at best, and largely not supported by credible scientific research recommendations. This project has many similarities to the Wildcat and Cobbler projects on this page which have been appealed to the District Ranger. It is disconcerting that federal environmental legal requirements that public comments be meaningfully reviewed and involved in Forest Service management projects were apparently ignored in the development of the Wildcat project. These comments request that the Forest Service confirm that these comments have been read and provide answers to how the concerns expressed in the comments were incorporated into the project. The full text of the Mirage project scoping comments can be read at Mirage Scoping Comments. This project has been delayed while the FS reevaluates the Wildcat and Cobbler projects cited above, and is currently scheduled to be issued September 2010. The only Forest Service information available on-line for this project is in the Umatilla NF Schedule of Proposed Activities, Fall 2009 on page 9. (12-28-09)

Sugar Bowl and Otter fire timber sales

Similar with the Monument Fire logging project above, the District again utilized Bush-era regulations to circumvent the nation’s legally requisite environmental analysis and science based project requirements for these two post-fire logging projects. The resulting timber sales, both under the Bush established limit of 250 acres) were fast-tracked and logged before our appeals and any legal judicial process could effectively protect these areas’ burned recovering forests from further harms. Again, both fire timber sales, in combination with impacts from fire suppression and adjacent logging projects, further harmed the natural ecological qualities of these recovering post-fire forest areas, including wildlife habitat and salmonid water systems. Volunteer help will be needed through 2009 to hike-survey the logging and greater fire areas, assess impacts from the Forest Service’s logging and other management actions, and the ongoing recovery processes and needs in these important salmonid forest watersheds. (5-07-09)

Granite Mining EIS

This decade long agency proposal supporting active mining claims near Granite Oregon is expected for release sometime in 2009/2010. The area includes the North Fork John Day River, one of the most important salmonid spawning waterways in Oregon's eastside. (5-07-09)

Skull and Flat timber sales

Both of these small thinning sales were scaled down by the agency to protect mature and old trees, steep slopes, and salmonid riparian areas in response to NEPA comments and communication with agency staff and decision-makers. Volunteer help is needed during 2009 monitoring these projects to document impacts and ensure ecological protections are followed. (5-07-09)

Falls Meadowbrook timber sale

This project was significantly changed from the agency's original large scale logging proposal. Old growth and mature forests were dropped from the timber sale, removing over 1,500 acres from planned logging which also reduced the planned re-opening of closed roads; use of dangerous herbicides was also dropped from the project, while the acreage of reintroduced controlled fire was increased. Volunteer help is needed monitoring the project, ensuring ecological protections and changes are followed by the agency. (5-07-09)

Walla Walla Ranger District, Oregon Portion

Cobbler I Timber Sale Appealed to District Ranger

The Decision Notice for proceeding with this project was withdrawn by the Umatilla National Forest on August 17th. This project has been reissued as Cobbler II as essentially the same project.

Cobbler Timber Sale
photo by Asante Riverwind Cobbler Timber Sale Snag
photo by Asante Riverwind Cobbler Timber Sale Vista
photo by Asante Riverwind Cobbler Timber Sale
photo by Asante Riverwind

The Oregon Chapter Sierra Club, jointly with Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project and the Hells Canyon Preservation Council, on July 2nd appealed to the District Ranger the Cobbler Timber Sale Decision Notice. The District plans propose an 11 million board foot "fuels reduction" timber sale across 3,900 acres in Wallowa and Union Counties near Elgin, Oregon, in forests adjacent to the Grande Rhonde River, an inventoried roadless area, and the Wenaha Tucannon Wilderness. The proposal also involves 8,000 acres of controlled fires. The full text of the appeal can be read at Cobbler Timber Sale Appeal. This appeal was based on the Club's assessment that the decision contained the following failures that pose a threat to the health of the forests and the environment:

• Failure to conduct an EIS instead of an EA for a project of this size, extent, location, and significant impacts
• Scientifically insupportable logging in mixed conifer, mixed fire severity forest ecosystems for fuels reduction and forest health rationales.
• Scientifically controversial logging and/or insupportable excessive logging including mature and old growth logging in remote interior wildland forest systems
• Failure to adequately address significant widespread cumulative impacts from past, recent, and ongoing logging projects throughout the District’s forest
• Scientific and legally insupportable logging, road building, and disruptive ecologically degrading management actions in old growth forest and uninventoried remote interior roadless area forests
• Failure to disclose the full range of scientific controversy and research recommendations pertinent to the area’s plant association groups, salmonid watersystems, listed and imperiled species of concern, natural mixed severity fire patterns and variable fire history in this remote forest area, the importance of roadless area forest integrity and natural ecological process and functioning, both short and long term recovery of listed species and species of concern, direct and cumulative road density and fragmentation impacts, forest soil communities and hydrological functioning, etc
• Failure to develop a reasonable range of action alternatives representative of credible scientific research and management recommendations
• Failure to sufficiently disclose and address environmental impact and management issues related to exponentially increasing climate change, and the critically important role natural and unlogged forests perform in carbon sequestration and mitigation of climate change impacts. Failure to disclose the incrementally harmful impacts of the planned logging upon localized and regional climate change, including the loss of carbon sequestration capability in both the short and long-term
• Failure to sufficiently address significant synergistic cumulative impacts from past and ongoing sequential logging projects; from ongoing livestock grazing; from high road densities that exceed wildlife thresholds and LRMP standards; and from growing ORV use and impacts in the project area and across the District
• Failure to protect ecologically foundational forest soil communities and soil hydrological functioning; and protect native botanical species biodiversity and abundance; utilizing instead extensive ground damaging heavy logging machinery, widespread burning, and additionally failing to prohibit livestock grazing in logging and burning impacted areas for five to ten years post project as the minimum rest period recommended by scientific research
• Failure to reasonably protect Oregon State 303(d) listed and other critically important salmonid spawning watersystems, salmonid populations, and aquatic habitat from direct, indirect, and cumulative harm and degradation due to project actions
• Legally improper use of a narrowly contrived logging purpose and need that predisposes agency planning staff and the decision maker to the development and selection of a scientifically insupportable commercial logging volume motivated action alternative
• Failure to adequately address impacts to terrestrial and aquatic threatened, endangered, and sensitive species including wolves, lynx, and salmonid species

(8-18-09)

Cobbler II Timber Sale

On November 20, 2009, the Forests Service issued a Scoping Letter proposing a new Environmental Assessment for a Cobbler II Timber Sale and Fuels Reduction Project. The Oregon Chapter Sierra Club, the League Of Wilderness Defenders-Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project, and the Hells Canyon Preservation Council reviewed this notice. Subsequently, representatives of these organizations also discussed the development of the proposed new Cobbler II EA with Umatilla officials, including the Umatilla Forest Supervisor, the Walla Walla District Ranger, and Forest Service planning staff.

It appears that little changed in Cobbler II from the previous Cobbler I project that was withdrawn (see Cobbler I article below). It was developed using the same premise, action alternatives, logging scope and methods, and scientifically insupportable objectives. Consequently, our objection to the project remains the same: it will significantly harm the ecological integrity of the area’s forest ecosystems and salmonid waterways, wildlife, aquatic, and native botanical species habitat and populations, and will further jeopardize the viability of Endangered Species Act and Oregon state listed species and regionally listed species of concern. In addition, we strongly stated that a project of this magnitude and impact required a full Environmental Impact Statement analysis to be compliant with NEPA. The full text of our comments on the November 20th Scoping Letter can be read at Cobbler II Scoping Comments. These comments fully incorporated by reference our previous comments, appeal, and all appeal exhibits on Cobbler I (these documents are available on our Comments and Appeals page).

On June 10, 2010, the Forest Service published a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), as we had requested. Unfortunately, this DEIS is changed very little from the Cobbler I Environmental Assessment previously withdrawn (see Cobble I article below). Very few if any of the comments provided for the Scoping Letter or the Cobbler I project or our Cobbler II Scoping Comments appear to have been incorporated. The Sierra Club, Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project, and Hells Canyon Preservation Council jointly reviewed the DEIS and have submitted comments to the Forest Service. We have found that the following changes must be made to the DEIS for the project to be acceptable:

• Avoid commercial logging in mixed fire severity ecosystems, including mixed conifer, moist, and high elevation forests;
• Prohibit logging, road building, and ecologically degrading disruptive management actions in roadless areas, including uninventoried roadless areas;
• Provide for viable dispersal habitat connectivity and forest structure for species of concern within and adjacent to the Cobbler II Project area;
• Maintain forest stand structure and ecological integrity specific to natural plant association groups (and corresponding aspect, elevation, localized climatic patterns, and varied natural fire cycles);
• Provide for the habitat needs and both short and long term recovery of wildlife, aquatic, and botanical species of concern throughout the greater project area;
• Retain all inherently fire resistant trees with mature and old characteristics throughout the project’s ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, hardwood, and riparian system forests;
• Utilize strategically-placed limited land area treatments appropriate for low and limited mixed fire severity ponderosa pine forests, allowing interior ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, mixed fire severity forests to undergo natural cycles and ecological processes;
• Protect soils by requiring low impact light machinery and ecologically protective methodology in all forest areas where machinery is employed;
• Protect riparian areas by prohibiting machinery use and commercial logging in and upslope of these locations, and by preventing sedimentation and erosion from project actions, including surface and airborne sedimentation;
• Impose seasonal restrictions on project implementation that will protect avian species during nesting and fledging periods;
• Impose seasonal restrictions on project actions that will protect terrestrial and botanical species during the vulnerable spring season;
• Reduce road density to within LRMP standards and wildlife thresholds and eliminate all new road construction including so-called “temporary roads”;
• Protect planned management action areas, including burning sites, from post-project disturbance to recovering soil communities, vegetation, riparian areas, and wildlife; including prohibiting livestock grazing in these locations one year pre-project implementation and five to ten years post-project completion – until the affected area evidences native species vegetative, soil community, and hydrological system recovery;
• Avoid indiscriminate aerial ignition of controlled burns, implementing pre-burn surveys for localized species of concern, and protecting ecologically important habitat features including snags, large downed logs, squirrel middens, hiding cover, and denning and nesting areas;
• Protect the project’s more open forest terrain from ORV intrusions and abuse and other disturbance harms during and post-project implementation;

The full text of the jointly submitted comments can be read at Cobbler II DEIS Comments. The Forest Service information on the Cobbler II project can be read at NEPA Reading Room - Proposed Projects. (6-16-10)

Loon "Fuels Reduction" timber sale

Located east of Tollgate and the North Fork Umatilla Wilderness, north/northwest of Elgin, spanning from Andies Ridge & Prairie northward to Jubilee Lake; this sale would log approximately 4.8 to 6 million board feet (mmbf) from 2,870 acres of forest. Plans include amending eastside regional forest plans to allow logging within Riparian Habitat Conservation Areas (RCHA). Imperiled aquatic species of concern in the project area include steelhead, redband, and bull trout; Columbia spotted frog, inland tailed frog, and Chinook salmon. Terrestrial and avian species of concern in the area include: bald eagle, wolf, lynx, wolverine, Lewis' woodpecker, and white-headed woodpecker. Rare plants of concern include Mingin moonwort, and Carex crawfordii and interior. Plans call for constructing 1/3 mile of road, and use of 47 miles of road, including opening 21 miles of closed and restricted roads. The Sierra Club joined in Hells Canyon Preservation Council's comments on the Environmental Assessment for this project, submitted this spring. Volunteer help is needed surveying and photo documenting project units, and identifying specific areas of ecological concern. (5-07-09)

Brock Cattle and Horse Allotment

The Oregon Sierra Club has signed jointly with comments written by the Hells Canyon Preservation Council on the Environmental Assessment for this allotment. These comments can be read at Brock Allotment EA Comments dated 7-30-2009. More information on this project can be found on the Forest Service web site at Umatilla NF NEPA Reading Room - Proposed Projects. (7-31-09)