In the early 1990s, we began to discover the extent of their sins and challenge them on their knowledge. In those early conflicts, district rangers steadfastly denied cutting any old growth. According to them, there was none. We need to launch a letter writing campaign and request that the proposed timber sale be withdrawn. The Forest Service needs to hear from all of us about this pending timber sale.
Public opinion does make a difference.
The U.S. Forest Service is failing to comply with the Northwest Forest Plan which was supposed to protect the Ancient Forest ecosystem and numerous threatened and endangered fish and wildlife species. Instead, the agency is ignoring the Plan's requirements and logging in the Ancient Forest Reserves to meet timber targets. Conservationists now estimate that over 275 pending sales, totalling 1.2 billion board feet, fail to meet the Plan's requirements and are illegal. All of these sales have been or will be appealed. Federal timber sales are being delayed in Oregon and Washington because surveys of old growth forests have not been completed.