by hotleadenema
“Rocket” project proposes serious impacts in Newberry Volcanic Monument area
Forest Service’s proposal would include 6,545 acres of commercial logging in and adjacent to the National Monument site, including old growth areas, critical goshawk areas, wildlife corridors, Mule deer winter range and scenic recreational areas.
Impacted areas including the Lava River cave entrance, Lava Cast forest, Lava Lands visitor center and Lava Butte interpretive site.
While the Forest Service rationale is the usual mantra of reducing risks from insects, disease and fire, they also admit that much of the forest in the area has already been thinned within the last 20-30 years. According to the Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project, this appears to be an attempt to keep mature trees from achieving late successional status.
The plan also proposed to mow down Bitterbrush, Ceanothus and Manzanita shrubs though these native plants provide winter forage for deer and neotropical songbird nesting habitat…
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