AFRC Looks To Keep Management Plan On The Books

A federal lawsuit could disrupt forest management across roughly one-point-three million acres of BLM land in western Oregon.

The American Forest Resource Council and Association of O&C Counties are seeking to intervene in a case challenging the 2016 resource management plan. They say overturning it could affect timber sales, wildfire fuel treatments, wildlife projects and county revenues.

“For ten years, BLM has planned projects, sold timber and carried out forest management under this plan,” said Travis Joseph, President and CEO of AFRC. “Throwing it out now would create enormous uncertainty across western Oregon and put years of planned and ongoing work at risk. Mills, workers, counties and rural communities have made decisions based on the expectation that these public lands will continue to be managed. We are intervening because they have a direct stake in the outcome.”

The plaintiff in the Aloha Trout case, Cascadia Wildlands alleges that the 2016 resource management plan never legally took effect because BLM did not submit it to Congress under the Congressional Review Act before the plan took effect. AFRC said this novel line of litigation seeks to invalidate the plan and actions authorized under it, return these lands to management under the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan and require the BLM to complete another lengthy planning process.

The Suit Is Disappointing, But Not Surprising

“A return to the Northwest Forest Plan would be an economic disaster for western Oregon counties and rural communities,” said Doug Robertson, Executive Director of AOCC. “AOCC is hopeful that the Courts see Plaintiff’s lawsuit as political theater and that this case will be quickly dismissed.”

BLM is also asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit.

“It’s disappointing, but not surprising, to see the Plaintiff play legal and political games to try and undermine important forest management work,” Joseph said. What the Plaintiff is really trying to do is get a judge to play the role of Congress. And, if successful, Oregon workers, small businesses, public services, and county budgets would take the hit. This case is a perfect example of how anti-forestry groups are weaponizing well-intended processes and federal environmental laws to drive an agenda. The case should be thrown out immediately.”

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