Two conservation groups are challenging the proposed D-Bug logging sale on Umpqua National Forest lands near Crater Lake National Park.
Oregon Wild and Cascadia Wildlands filed a notice of intent in late December challenging the D-Bug timber sale old-growth logging sale. The Umpqua is offering the sale as part of a proposal to log forests bordering the park and Lemolo and Diamond lakes.
Steve Pedry, conservation director for Oregon Wild, said the groups are concerned the U.S. Forest Service is violating laws designed to protect rare and vulnerable wildlife, including spotted owls. He also expressed concern because the sales abut Crater Lake National Park.
“This is the backyard of Crater Lake,” he said. “If there’s any place the Forest Service should proceed with caution, it’s there.”
According to Forest Service timber sale documents, the D-Bug proposes to manage bark beetle outbreaks and reduce hazardous fuels in areas of high human use around Diamond and Lemolo lakes on the Diamond Lake Ranger District. The location includes the area south of Lemolo Lake south to the boundary with Crater Lake National Park.
From The Herald & News: https://www.heraldandnews.com/members/news/inside/article_1cbd2378-5957-11e2-875f-001a4bcf887a.html