"I have learned that there is a price to be paid for doing the right thing.
To fight for the interest of ordinary people, a leader must always
work harder, think faster, and be more determined..."

Although I will comment on protecting our environmental laws, this is not a moment to step back to a position merely advocating judicial review. The real issue is that we need ecologically balanced management of the national forests, not just some sort of legal process for cutting these forests down. We are confronting a bad idea, namely the current Forest Service program for post-fire logging in the Siskiyou National Forest. To provide you with some context for this letter, I'd like to begin by introducing myself and my background, so you will recognize my qualifications to comment on decisions concerning public lands and rivers in Oregon. My appreciation for the fragility of Oregon's wild places began early and has stayed with me. I grew up in Coos County, on the Oregon Coast and majored in geography and law and the University of Oregon. I have represented the Eugene area in the Oregon State Senate and have been elected to serve a third term as Lane County Commissioner. This is a large county with a land area of 4,620 square miles, about the size of the state of Connecticut. As a commissioner, I've worked on the National Marine Fisheries Services decision to list as endangered species certain stocks of Willamette River Salmon. Before serving in elective office, I was an attorney in private practice. My legal work involved a variety of matters, but I eventually specialized in enforcement of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. My involvement with laws concerning our national forests goes back at least thirty years. After college, I worked as Legislative Assistant with U.S. Representative, Jim Weaver of Oregon. During 1975 and '76, I worked on significant federal public land legislation, including the National Forest Management Act of 1976. Then, as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture in the Carter Administration, I worked with such agencies as the Forest Service and the Soil and Water Conservation Service. During this period, I worked on even more public resource issues, such as Wild and Scenic Rivers and the Endangered American Wilderness Act of 1977. Naturally, after close involvement in the formation of strong environmental protection laws, I am compelled to speak on the benefits of maintaining them. The cover story of 3/31/05 Eugene Weekly "Salvage, Salvage; Why the Battle over Biscuit logging," brought long overdue public attention to the fact that previously-unknown Silver Creek Timber Company (a company newly formed after the fire in 2002), is now cutting old growth forests in the Siskiyous before the federal judiciary can rule on several legal challenges to these sales. These areas are known habitat for spotted owls, marbled murrelets, coho salmon and other threatened and endangered species The Cascadia Wildlands Project, Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics, the Western Environmental Law Center (WELC), Oregon Natural Resources Council and Earthjustice, National Forest Protection Alliance, Native Forest Network and Klamath Forests Alliance have challenged these projects in court and await decisions on the merits. Regrettably, the Forest Service, is recklessly moving forward with these projects before the courts render a final judgement. Marc Finc, attorney for WELC told Eugene Weekly that logging activity and the judicial process are on incompatible schedules: "We're optimistic that the courts will rule in our favor; but we're not optimistic that there will be much left of the areas important to our clients," he said. Since newly devised policy that allows "Emergency Situation Determination" can exempt public land management decisions from judicial oversight, and a subsequent temporary injunction was vacated, this logging has resumed. Such logging obviously preempts the long held right to deliberation through the courts. If the cases are decided after the forests are cut, the arguments are moot. It's as if we executed the accused first and scheduled a trial later. This banana republic-like charade has no place in our justice system. The adminstration's ill-considered response to the Biscuit Fire is an attempt to unilaterally end the system of checks and balances we rely on in responsible government. If Silver Creek Timber Company need not wait until the courts review objections, then evasion of established environmental law will continue whenever forest fires or other natural disturbances, occur throughout the United States. As elected officials, whether we serve in local, state or federal government, we must speak out clearly and quickly to stop ecologically catastrophic logging in the area of the Biscuit fire of 2002 in the Siskiyou National Forest. The most credible scientists tell us that salvage logging does NOT reduce fuels to prevent future fire or speed regeneration, as the Forest Service and timber industry often claim. Instead it leaves logging slash on forest floors, increasing fuels and the subsequent likelihood of future fires while creating conditions that obstruct forest regeneration. The resulting conditions include soil compaction and erosion as well as the spread of weeds and invasive species. Removing dead, burned and living trees, eliminates the specific benefits each contribute to a post fire ecosystem. Large snags are habitat for cavity nesting species. Left to fall and decay, they become habitat for forest floor-dwelling wildlife while they replenish nutrients in the soil. When fallen logs and branches are removed from rivers and streams, salmon habitat is degraded. Moreover, erosion from logging and road building causes stream sedimentation that kills aquatic life. Public comment supports the case for protecting places that we value among our unique national treasures. During the comment period, the Forest Service received 22,856 comments. Among these, 95% opposed the Bush administration's Preferred Alternative for intensive logging. 90% supported the Siskiyou Wild Rivers Conservation Alternative. Among 1,332 individually written letters, 82% opposed the Forest Service's Preferred Alternative. The agency classified multiple concerns stated in these letters and published them. I have taken the time to read some sections of this document closely and I was awed by the knowledge and depth of interest evident among the respondents. The document overwhelmingly supports either the minimal logging of the Conservation Alternative or a better decision that would leave these forests alone. Within these comments are many compelling concerns. Among them are: concern for wild and scenic rivers and streams; for species of plants and animals in a rare, bio-diverse region; urgent concern not to lose potential wilderness designation in a region seriously proposed as wilderness; concern for potential scenic impacts and noise impacts of logging and for potential loss of regional tourism; concern about the ecologically degrading process of building roads into roadless areas; erosion of soils; and loss of recreation. Writers of these comments wish to protect hiking, fishing and quiet retreats. They respect a natural healing process after fire. They point out inaccuracies and omissions in the EIS along with fear that intact forests in large areas of low intensity fire and trees just superficially charred will be cut on the pretext that they were burned. Misleading, unscientific terminology such as "forest health," has been used to speed the way toward logging. We must instead reject euphemisms and truthfully sustain our living ecosystems. Some of Oregon's public officials have been silent while thousands of comments and concerns were brushed aside, old growth groves were entered and cut, and protesters forcibly removed. Now the Forest Service is not only giving away valuable ancient trees, it is actually auctioning off whole ecosystems which provide priceless nature services -- pure water, climate stabilization, opportunities for backcountry recreation that cannot be replaced or restored. In 2001, leading biologist, E.O. Wilson joined in asking then President Clinton to designate the Siskiyou National Forest as the Siskiyou Wild Rivers National Monument. That goal has not yet been achieved, but the possibility has survived. At this moment, silence betrays the public trust of Americans who own our national forests. I call on concerned members of Congress to join me in the effort to protect the treasured old-growth forests and roadless areas of southwestern Oregon. These are places Oregonians have gone to hike, camp and watch salmon for a long time. Please honor the Siskiyou region, the citizens who care for its fate and the public process that we, as elected officials, promise to uphold by requiring the Forest Service to reconsider its plan and withdraw timber sales from our roadless and old growth forest areas immediately. Sincerely, Pete Sorenson
Lane County Commissioner
P.S. I agree with the nationwide coalition Save America's Forests advising against any salvage logging in the Biscuit fire area. The Save America's Forest comment to the Forest Service explains that this position is based on strong scientific research: "Research has shown that salvage logging in a burned area such as the Siskiyou has no scientific merit as a means of improving forest health. In 1994, a group of five prominent aquatic biologists and ecologists, Minshall, Meyer, Stanford, Karr, and Frissell sent a letter to President Clinton stating that, "we know of no scientific reason to engage in salvage logging or road building in burned areas and we know of many sound reasons not to." In order to protect forest ecosystem health and resilience, the Forest Service should refrain from salvage logging.

Here's a quote to add an informal observation to the biological science that opposes salvaging dead trees: "All summer I've noticed down here along the creek that the dead trees are never without their tenants. The four old pines at the entrance where the road ends, the solitary dead oak downstream, and the old leafless poplars around the bend always have a varied company of little, medium and large birds... I think, for sheer popularity, the dead, bare trees far outdo the green leafy ones..." from Spirit of the Siskiyous -- the Journal of a Mountain Naturalist by Mary Paetzel.

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