Opinion ID: 3015167
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Alleged Deficiencies of the East Side Project

Text: 19 “[E]every federal appellate court has a special obligation to satisfy itself not only of its own jurisdiction, but also that of the lower courts, in every appeal presented to it, regardless of whether the parties contest jurisdiction.” Lewis v. Int'l Broth. of Teamsters, 826 F.2d 1310 (3d Cir.1987) (citing Bender v. Williamsport Area Sch. Dist., 475 U.S. 534 (1986) (internal quotations omitted)). 34 ADP’s main contention is that the Forest Service’s decision to use even-aged harvesting combined with fertilizer and herbicide, and fencing, violates the APA and the NFMA “because it seeks primarily to achieve the highest dollar return by . . . emphasizing the logging and regeneration of black cherry timber, which is by far the most commercially valuable species in the Allegheny.” ADP Reply Brief at 2. ADP also contends that the Forest Service incorrectly determined that the even-aged logging authorized by the Project was “appropriate” and the clearcutting “optimal” when that logging was authorized primarily to give the greatest dollar return.20 The numerous factors ADP cites to support that position include: • In its summary judgment brief, the Forest Service a ss e rted that th e R O D a d o p te d th e recommendations of the Northeastern Forest Experimental Station as set forth in the Marquis manuscript. Page one of the manuscript states that it is designed primarily as a guidebook for practicing foresters whose goal is timber production. Also, the Magistrate Judge found that 20 Although ADP articulates two different arguments, these two arguments are merely different sides of the same coin. Accordingly, the Magistrate Judge realized that they did not require a separate analysis. See App. at 114a (“During oral argument . . . counsel for Plaintiffs admitted that their argument as to Count III is essentially the same as their argument in Count I – that the Forest Service chose the logging methods which would produce the most cherry and thereby give the greatest dollar return.”). 35 the object of the manuscript “was to produce the maximum profit from even-aged management.” 21 • In the same brief, the Forest Service cited to a different M arquis publication e ntitle d, “Quantitative Silviculture for Hardwood Forests of the Alleghenies” and explained that it used the publication’s “SILVAH” system as the scientific basis for the ROD. ADP contends that the express goal of the SILVAH system is to “maximize growth and value.” ADP also maintains that this document is a “lengthy how-to manual for cultivating black cherry and other high value hardwood species,” and the document warns that the use of uneven- aged logging will result in fewer Allegheny Hardwoods and less profits. • Several monitoring reports, including one specifically cited by the Forest Service, document how management techniques similar to those authorized by the ROD have negatively impacted other sites in the ANF. Thus, according to ADP, by choosing to employ these techniques, black cherry promotion and regeneration and the resulting financial returns must be the Forest Service’s primary goals. 21 The Magistrate Judge found the Forest Service’s adoption of the manuscript “troubling.” App. at 110A. 36 • In its response to ADP’s administrative appeal of the ROD, the Forest Service noted that more uneven-aged logging was not included because it would not regenerate black cherry. Additionally, the Forest Service explained that fertilizer would be applied to encourage more black cherry and not because the forest’s soils were otherwise depleted. ADP also maintains that the Forest Service’s explanations for why it selected the particular silvicultural techniques are merely pretextual since “none of these justifications can even begin to explain the East Side Decision’s overwhelming preference for even-aged logging and the accompanying techniques.” ADP Brief at 38. For example, according to ADP: • The Forest Service cannot justify its choice of silvicultural techniques by relying on the assertion that the success of uneven-aged management is uncertain since, according to the Magistrate Judge, uneven-aged management could work if it was supported by the same supplemental management – herbicides and fencing – that the Forest Service uses to support even-aged management. According to ADP, research has found that uneven-aged management could be used to obtain adequate regeneration of diverse tree species and at the same time promote and protect other multiple use resources. 37 • Health concerns also cannot justify the Forest Service’s silvicultural practices since (1) thousands of acres that will be subjected to the Forest Service’s management scheme are quite healthy and are not threatened by disease, and (2) even-aged management creates stands with their own health problems, including specific threats to the health of black cherry trees such as the Cherry Scallop Moth and Ground Level Ozone caused by pollution. • The Forest Service’s argument that it chose evenaged management to maintain diversity is not supported by the record. According to ADP, even-aged management would result in the least amount of old growth habitat, the highest amount of soil compaction, the lowest amount of standing dead and lying dead trees for wildlife habitat, the highest acreage of forest with more than 30% stocking of interfering ferns and grasses, and the lowest acreage of forest with an intact mid-story of all alternatives. Conversely, according to ADP, simply not logging or using more uneven-aged harvesting techniques would create the most diversity in the ANF. • The Forest Service cannot justify its practices by claiming that it is simply maintaining conditions created by earlier logging since the same harvesting system authorized by the ROD has in the recent past significantly increased the ANF’s 38 black cherry component. • The Forest Service cannot blame the white-tailed deer for the ANF’s increased conversion to a forest dominated by black cherry since, according to ADP, the even-aged logging being employed by the Forest Service contributes to the deer problem.