Siuslaw National Forest, photo by Steve Griffiths
For the last thirty years, the Northwest Forest Plan has protected our mature and old-growth forests, Northern Spotted Owls, Marbled Murrelets, and other imperiled fish and wildlife on federal lands like the Siuslaw National Forest throughout the Pacific Northwest. Now the Forest Service is proposing an amendment to the plan that puts logging first, placing our forests and wildlife at risk.
The proposed amendment would vastly increase logging levels across the forests of the Pacific Northwest and remove protections for mature and old growth forests. It would also shirk the Plan’s original (and foundational) duty toward wildlife and habitat conservation. While the proposal is alarming on its own and would undo decades of progress, we now know that final approval of the Plan will fall squarely within the authority of the Trump Administration. Under these circumstances, the proposed amendment is only likely to get worse.
Siuslaw National Forest, photo by Joseph Youren
What happens with the Northwest Forest Plan is important to all of us. We need a strong Plan to protect our remaining mature and old-growth forests and the many imperiled species that depend on that forest habitat for survival. We also need it to protect our collective interest in clean air, drinkable water, and the climate stabilizing benefits forests provide by storing and sequestering vast amounts of carbon.
We need YOU to tell the US Forest Service to protect a strong Northwest Forest Plan that prioritizes our forests’ health over timber interests. TAKE ACTION NOW by sending the suggested message below to our state representatives (contact information below). Please personalize your message by telling our representatives what you value most about the Siuslaw National Forest!
Suggested message:
Dear decision maker,
As you know, the Northwest Forest Plan has protected forests like the Siuslaw and the wildlife that depend on them for over 30 years. The Plan successfully halted largely unchecked clearcutting that threatened to eliminate our ancient forests, but now the US Forest Service is proposing an amendment to the Plan that will weaken its protections and prioritize logging over our forests, our communities, our drinking water, wildlife, and the climate.
Please use your power in Congress to oppose these efforts to weaken the Northwest Forest Plan! Any amendment to the Plan must protect mature and old-growth forests, not threaten them further. The proposed amendment will increase logging by at least double the current volume and dismantle the stability that the Plan originally brought to our region. We cannot go back to the days of the timber wars, and we must protect the little old-growth that remains in our forests.
The original purpose of the Plan’s amendment was to meaningfully address climate change and support the critical role our forests play in sequestering and storing carbon. The amendment as proposed fails to do so. In fact, allowing logging to increase on federal lands, including the Siuslaw, will result in more carbon being released into the atmosphere, therefore simultaneously accelerating climate change while diminishing our climate resilience. There are legitimate reasons to amend the Northwest Forest Plan, but weakening the foundation the Plan was built on will not succeed.
As Oregonians, we are relying on you, our elected officials, to represent and uphold our values. I value the Siuslaw National Forest because [insert your reason here]. The Siuslaw and other National Forests throughout Oregon serve as strongholds for threatened wildlife, clean drinking water, and climate resiliency and must be protected, full stop.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Please send your message to the following elected officials:
Senator Jeff Merkeley
https://www.merkley.senate.gov/connect/contact/
Senator Ron Wyden
https://www.wyden.senate.gov/contact/email-ron
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici - 1st Congressional District
https://bonamici.house.gov/contact/email
Congressman Cliff Bentz - 2nd Congressional District
https://bentz.house.gov/contact
Congresswoman Maxine Dexter - 3rd Congressional District
https://dexter.house.gov/address_authentication?form=/contact/email-me
Congresswoman Val Hoyle - 4th Congressional District
https://hoyle.house.gov/contact/email-val?clear
Congresswoman Janelle Bynum - 5th Congressional District
https://bynum.house.gov/address_authentication?form=/contact/email-me
Congresswoman Andrea Salinas - 6th Congressional District
https://salinas.house.gov/address_authentication?form=/contact
