Smith Calls on Forest Service to Expand Salvage and Habitat Restoration in Biscuit Fire Aftermath
Cites Oregon State University Study Reporting Accessibility of
Two Billion Board Feet of Timber
Washington, DC – In a letter sent today, Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) responded to the release of an Oregon State University (OSU) study by requesting that the U.S. Forest Service incorporate the report's findings and dramatically expand its proposed plan for salvage and reforestation on Biscuit Fire lands.
"Years of neglecting forest health fueled the Biscuit Fire," said Smith. "But now we have the chance to begin again by restoring critical habitats, beginning the process of reforestation, and giving a desperately needed boost to Oregon's economy."
The Biscuit Fire was also the largest fire in recorded Oregon history and cost the taxpayers more than $150 million to fight. The Fire was even more catastrophic in ecological terms. It transformed over 200,000 acres of old conifer forest habitats into what will remain brush for decades unless immediate actions are taken to reforest and suppress competing vegetation. In addition, it killed over four billion board feet of timber. The OSU report released today estimates that the Biscuit Fire left behind more than two billion board feet of accessible timber outside of the wilderness area, harvesting of which could bring as many as 16,000 jobs to Oregon. The revenue generated by the harvest could then be used to restore far more habitat for threatened species than is currently proposed.
Despite the availability of timber and the need to reforest huge areas, the Forest Service may propose salvaging only ninety million board feet and replanting only 28,000 acres – mere fractions of the optimal measures identified by the OSU report.
"For every million board feet of timber, Oregon would see eight to ten jobs created," Smith said. "With over two billion board feet available, this is an opportunity we can't afford to pass up."
The complete text of Smith's letter to Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth is available upon request. OSU's report "The Biscuit Fire: Management Options for Forest Regeneration, Fire and Insect Reduction, and Timber Salvage" is available online at: http://www.cof.orst.edu/cof/admin/Biscuit%20Fire%20Report.pdf
