Murrelets Halt Oregon Logging
In late June, a U.S. District Court judge in Oregon issued a ruling preventing Scott Timber from clearcutting a tract of old-growth forest that was previously part of the Elliott State Forest. The court found that logging the parcel would harm and harass threatened marbled murrelets, violating the federal Endangered Species Act.
The ruling stems from a 2016 lawsuit that sought to block Scott Timber from clearcutting 49 acres of a 355-acre parcel because of potential murrelet impacts. According to news reports, murrelets were documented in the 49 acre parcel more than 200 times by activist groups and Scott Timber’s own contractors.
Marbled murrelets are listed as “threatened” under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Yet in July 2021, state wildlife officials uplisted the murrelet’s state protected status from threatened to endangered under Oregon’s Endangered Species Act. Currently, the Oregon Board of Forestry is developing rules to protect murrelet habitat on state and private timber lands.
Related Articles
Latest News
Mandates Raise Multiple Questions
Recent log transportation changes implemented by Weyerhaeuser in Mississippi, Louisiana and eastern North Carolina have left some of the loggers involved very disgruntled. The changes raise ethical and legal questions and have gotten the attention of the American Loggers Council…
More Than Just Fuel: Biomass Benefits
Story by Dan Shell, Western Editor Timber Harvesting has long promoted wood-based residuals from forests and other sources as key to developing a growing renewable fuel industry in the U.S. Yet in...
WANT MORE CONTENT?
Spanning seven decades since its inception in 1952, Timber Harvesting highlights innovative and successful logging operations across the U.S. and around the world. Timber Harvesting also emphasizes new technology and provides the best marketing vehicle for the industry’s suppliers to reach the largest number of loggers in North America and beyond.
Call Us: 800.669.5613