In the '80s, public lands were an Oregon timber industry mainstay, producing prime old-growth logs that were processed by mills throughout the state. But public harvests under the Northwest Forest Plan have been much smaller. Between 1994 and 1997, federal lands provided about 10 percent of the Oregon and Washington harvest, according to a Forest Service report the plaintiffs cited in a filing. Meanwhile, the region's mills have retooled to favor smaller logs from private lands that now provide most Northwest timber. The legal impasse from the new rulings is likely to last months.
Federal officials say they're still unsure how to survey for some of the least-known species.
Doug Heiken, a spokesman for the Oregon Natural Resources Council, a lead plaintiff, said the cost and difficulty of surveys could be avoided by ending logging in old-growth timber and roadless areas. But such a move would be a significant change under the Northwest Forest Plan, which allows some old-growth logging as part of the compromise that boosted certain protections. And some large timber operators would fiercely oppose such action. Meanwhile, Congress is considering making the wildlife surveys discretionary. If that amendment passes, the Clinton administration could petition the judge to remove the injunctions against the sales.