Opinion ID: 3054099
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Marking of Large-Diameter Trees

Text: Next, LOWD contends that the Forest Service’s tree markings will result in the logging of trees equal to or greater than twenty-one inches in diameter, in violation of NFMA2 and the applicable Ochoco LRMP.3 LOWD also asserts that the Forest Service violated NFMA because agency personnel allegedly did not mark the trees,4 and because the timber sale contract language is insufficient to prevent harvesting of the large trees. At oral argument in the district court, the court urged the Forest Service to provide further assurances of the correct marking of trees greater than twenty-one inches in diameter at breast height. The Forest Service responded with the declarations of two Forest Service employees. The Declaration of Lori Blackburn, “a certified silviculturist for the Forest Service for over 12 years,” states that she “wrote the marking 2 See 16 U.S.C. § 1604(i) (requiring consistency between site-specific projects and the applicable LRMP). 3 A set of interim wildlife, ecosystem, and riparian standards known as the “Eastside Screens” and adopted in 1993 amended the Ochoco LRMP, in relevant part, to proscribe “the logging of green trees larger than 21 inches at breast height.” 4 LOWD relies on 16 U.S.C. § 472a(g), which states: Designation, marking when necessary, and supervision of harvesting of trees . . . shall by conducted by persons employed by the Secretary of Agriculture. Such persons shall have no personal interest in the purchase or harvest of such products and shall not be directly or indirectly in the employment of the purchaser thereof. LEAGUE OF WILDERNESS DEFENDERS v. USFS 16223 guides for the [Project]; participated in training the District marking crew; and monitored their work during the implementation of [her] marking guides on the sale.” The “marking crew consisted of seasonal Forest Service employees supervised by a . . . permanent Forest Service employee,” and Blackburn “formally reviewed the work of the marking crew three times,” ensuring that the crew properly measured and marked the trees to avoid harvesting those over twenty-one inches in diameter. Her declaration concludes, “my oversight and monitoring indicate that the marking crew for the [Project] has marked the sale in accordance with the prescriptions and design criteria that have been adopted for the . . . [P]roject.” Meanwhile, the Declaration of Dennis R. Dietrich, “a Timber Sale Contracting Officer for the Ochoco . . . National Forest[ ],” provides the following language from the timber sale contract regarding “Individual Tree Designation”: All trees less than 21.0 inches D.B.H. [diameter at breast height] Marked with blue paint above and below stump height in cutting Units 2, 3, 9, 21, 24- 26 and 36; and all live trees 7.0 to 20.9 inches D.B.H. not Marked with orange paint above and below stump height in Cutting Units 4-8, 10-20, 22, 23, 27-35 and 37-54 which meet the minimum tree diameter stated in AT2 are designated for cutting. Additional timber to be cut, if any, will be desig- nated for cutting in accordance with BT2.37. Dietrich concludes that “[t]his combination of the marking on the trees and the description in the contract, along with professional contract administration, makes [him] confident that the Forest Service has taken every reasonable measure to protect against the harvest of trees that are not authorized by contract to be cut.” He also notes that, “[t]o further protect against the possibility that a tree over 21 inches in diameter will be cut during execution of the [Project], the contract that 16224 LEAGUE OF WILDERNESS DEFENDERS v. USFS will be awarded for the sale will provide for liquidated damages to be assessed against the purchaser if any such unauthorized harvest were to occur.” [10] Like the district court, we hold that these declarations sufficiently indicate that Forest Service employees marked the trees, as required by 16 U.S.C. § 472a(g), and that the marking complied with NFMA’s and the applicable Ochoco LRMP’s requirements.