The state of Oregon has withdrawn more than 900 acres of planned timber sales in Elliott State Forest, pending the outcome of a lawsuit filed by environmentalists.
The Oregon Department of Forestry plans instead to open 465 acres of alternative logging sites that were not named in the lawsuit, The (Coos Bay) World reported.
“It’s certainly nowhere near what was proposed in the annual operating plan,” department spokesman Kevin Weeks said.
Weeks estimated the change in plans will cost the Common School Fund about $9.85 million in income next year. But environmental groups say deferred logging means another year of protection for the endangered marbled murrelet sea bird.
The lawsuit, filed by Cascadia Wildlands and other environmental groups in May, alleges the state’s logging practices violate the Endangered Species Act.
From The Bulletin: https://www.bendbulletin.com/article/20121119/NEWS0107/211190320/