In more Pacific Northwest news this week, a Bush administration attempt at increasing logging of old-growth forests in Oregon has been reversed by the current administration. The logging plans, formally known as the Western Oregon Plan Revision was five years in the making, but only finalized during Bush’s last days in office. By reducing protection for the northern spotted owl, logging would increase on federal lands. If the plan had not been reversed, this year would have shown five times the amount of timber logged, as compared to last year.
The area will now revert to being governed by the Northwest Forest Plan, which was established in 1994 to protect the habitats of the spotted owl. Logging in Washington, Oregon and California was reduced by 80% after 1994. However, spotted owl populations continue to decline, and the Bush administration took this opportunity to claim that the population decline was due to the barred owl population, rather than the logging of forests.
It’s a pretty heated debate, between those living in an area with almost 17% unemployment and relying on timber-related jobs, and environmentalists and nature enthusiasts trying to save both the spotted owl population and our old growth forests.
You can read more about the issue in the New York Times and at MSNBC.
