The US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to offer up to 230 million board ft of timber in western Oregon this financial year as part of an interim plan to replace a withdrawn Bush administration timber harvest plan.
It includes offering 21.1 million board ft of timber in the BLM’s Medford District – a volume similar to the past three years. However, the district’s annual harvest goal is more than twice that at 46.7 million board ft.
The federal fiscal year began on October 1.
Interior secretary Ken Salazar said the timber would help keep Oregon mills open while a long-term forest plan was completed.
“In these tough economic times, we must do all we can to provide certainty for western Oregon timber mills and communities while conserving our land, water, and wildlife,” Salazar said.
The Bush plan was withdrawn by the Obama administration in July because it failed to adequately complete required Endangered Species Act consultation. It would have allowed 502 million board ft of timber to be sold in the region.
However, the plan has been criticised by both the timber industry and environmental groups.
