A-Infos (en) US, Eugene, OR, Cascadia Forest Defenders, New Treesit

[riversite@uswest.net]

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 24, 2001
Contact:  Cascadia Forest Defenders 541-684-8977

Forest Defenders Take to the Trees at Slap Timber Sale

Eugene, OR -- Several local activists associated with
Cascadia Forest Defenders, concerned that the Forest Service
is not adequately protecting the rare red tree vole and its
habitat, have established a new tree-sit at the Slap Timber
Sale.  The sale is in the Middle Fork Ranger District of the
Willamette National Forest southeast of Hills Creek
Reservoir.  The activists are protesting the sale of
old-growth trees and have erected the tree-sit in order to
defend the red tree vole nests that activists and tree
climbers have discovered at the sale.  The platform was
placed about 170 feet in the air in the canopy of a large
old-growth Douglas fir tree in unit 21 of the Slap timber
sale.

"It's not just the spotted owl, it's not just the salmon,
it's the whole forest and all creatures great and small that

make up the forests we love," said Peregrine of the Cascadia
Forest Defenders. The timber sale includes several massive
old-growth trees ranging from 500-700 years old or more.
There have been numerous sightings by the activists of bear,
cougar, rare butterflies, spotted owls, pileated woodpeckers
and many small mammals.  Several deer use the unit areas for
their homes.  The hills surrounding the timber sale are
spotted with clearcuts which is a sad reminder of the
imminent danger that this brilliant ecosystem faces.
Peregrine says she plans on staying at Slap until this
forest is permanently saved.

The activists are also demanding that Allyn Ford, the
president and owner of Roseburg Forest Products, the
purchaser of this sale, refuse this and all other old-growth
sales.   The Slap timber sale was offered to Ford
as part of the "Replacement Volume" program in order to
"replace" a sale that was sold to him in the Siuslaw
National Forest and subsequently cancelled due to nesting
marbled murrelets, a rare coastal bird.  The forests now
scheduled for logging are critical to the survival of other
rare species including spotted owls and red tree voles.  As
a result, "replacement volume" is an endangered species
shell game, buying time for one species at the expense of
another.  Other Cascadia sales that are Replacement Volume
are North Winberry and East Devil (Willamette NF), Peak and
Silver-Sturgis (Rogue River NF), and Blodgett (Umpqua NF);
all of which have been given to Allyn Ford.  Mr. Ford is
also the Chairman of Umpqua Bank, the target of a recent
boycott because of its association with forest destruction.

The Slap timber sale encompasses about 65 acres of old
growth and mature forest and will clearcut 4.5 million
board feet of timber if the sale is not stopped.  Cascadia
Forest Defenders demand the Forest Service do the right
thing and protect the red-tree vole's habitat. The red tree
vole is a small mammal that lives its entire life in the
canopy of old-growth Douglas fir and is a prey species for
the spotted owl.  The Forest Service is required to survey
for the rare voles and protect trees with active nests under
the Survey & Manage protocols of the Northwest Forest Plan.
Although small portions of the timber sale units were set
aside for the voles, activists have found several more
active nests and want them all protected.

The Cascadia Forest Defenders is a group of volunteer
activists dedicated to stopping forest destruction through a
variety of direct action tactics.  The group has been
actively protesting against several other sales in the
Cascadia bioregion for several years.  Current tree-sits
have been on going for three years at the Clark (Fall Creek)
and North Winberry timber sales.  The group decided to
step-up their efforts when the Middle Fork Ranger District
released a priority list of sales that would be ready to cut
this season, including Slap, Clark, North Winberry, East
Devil, and one sale, Rhody, which was cut earlier this
summer.  There are thousands of acres of old-growth trees on
the chopping block all over Cascadia and the activists vow
to do all they can to protect these old-growth ecosystems
from the chainsaws.


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