Clackamas

This timber sale was named after the large number of protected slugs found within its boundaries. This is cathedral forest habitat with at least 9 varieties of trees, and this sale would turn the entire plateau into a giant clearcut.

Convert slowly growing diseased stands into young productive stands that are capable of growth commensurate with the site 's potential. 'The Forest Service once again doesn't like leaving old growth because it doesn't increase its value as timber while waiting to cut it at the same rate brand new planted young trees do.'

To improve health of overstocked second-growth stands. To convert slow growing unhealthy stands into productive young stands. To provide better snag habitat. To thin approx. 180 acres in the Matrix and 7 acres in the Riparian Reserves, creating snags in these areas.

The Forest Servce's rationale for this old growth clearcutting sale is "to generate older forest stands that are fragmented and growing slowly, to create young productive stands, and to provide forest products." They say the action is needed, "because the project are contains fragmented stands of older forest that are growing slowly due to th effects of diseases, insects and mortality" (Preliminary Assessment, 2-3). In other words-- they've logged the area to death resulting in only fragments of old growth left, and now they want the rest! BTW, disease and mortality are healthy part of old growth forests!

The Forest Service would like to thin and fertilize the matrix lands because they are overstocked and lack diversity. ' 'If no action is taken this overcrowded condition would result in the continued reduction of net annual growth and reduced vigor increased mortality and increased wind damage susceptibility. ' Meanwhile, the second growth in the riparian reserves are apparently 'experiencing a slowing of growth due to overcrowding. '

Sell trees to be logged, thin to maximize future logging, make tree spacing less uniform by logging, grow bigger trees in Riparian Reserves by logging.

According to the Forest Service, the stands of trees in the Orchard sale are experiencing a slowing of growth due to overcrowding. "

For the area proposed to be clear-cut convert slowly growing diseased stands into young productive stands that are capable of growth commensurate with the site potential. ' Another example of older trees being sought because they are exhibiting natural signs of their age.'