BLM's "Bear Grub" Timber Sale Is Back—Wellington Wildlands Threatened Again

Written by George Sexton, December 23rd, 2022

Like a zombie in a bad horror movie, the horrible Bear Grub timber sale is back from the grave. Forest defenders may remember that back in August, the BLM shelved Bear Grub due to the impacts to imperiled Pacific fisher that were ignored in the agency's environmental analysis. Now the timber sale is back, and rather than working with the public to reduce the impacts of the proposed "group selection" logging on wildlife, watersheds and wildlands, the BLM is once again targeting ancient forests in the "harvest land base" for "group selection. Read to learn more and take action!

Why is the BLM Proposing the Bear Grub timber sale?

Management of BLM public forests in Western Oregon used to be governed by the Northwest Forest Plan. That Forest Plan attempted to strike a balance by allowing logging while also protecting wildlife through the “survey and manage” program and avoiding harm to watersheds with the “aquatic conservation strategy.” The timber industry and their allies in the BLM resented the conservation sideboards contained in the Northwest Forest Plan and so in 2016 the BLM released a new management plan to increase clearcutting (regeneration harvesting and group selection logging) by withdrawing from the Forest Plan and designating some public forests as a “harvest land base” in which timber production would be the only forest value recognized by the BLM.

Much of the Bear Grub timber sale is located in the so-called “harvest land base” where the BLM has directed itself to log regardless of the impacts to neighbors, wildlife or watersheds. 

Increasing Fire Hazard

Many Bear Grub logging units are located close to homes and ranches along Anderson Creek Road, Little Applegate Road, Sterling Creek Road, China Creek Road and Griffin Lane. A primary logging prescription in this timber sale is called “group selection” in which mature forest stands are removed and replaced with dense young timber plantations that increase fire hazard for several decades. When the BLM decided to withdraw from the Northwest Forest Plan it was primarily to accelerate the conversion of resilient native forests into second-growth timber plantations on public lands. While the Bear Grub timber sale also includes some “hazardous fuels treatments” that may reduce fire hazard, the BLM is nevertheless intent upon increasing fire hazard through the establishment of dense young second-growth timber plantations throughout logging units on the landscape.

Timber Industry Pressure

The primary advocate for “regeneration” and “group selection” logging in timber sales like Bear Grub is a Portland-based timber industry trade group called the American Forest Resources Council or AFRC. AFRC utilizes corporate lawyers to oppose BLM and Forest Service thinning projects (like the nearby Upper Applegate project) while advocating for the “regeneration” logging on public lands. AFRC also files lawsuits across the country in a conservative Washington DC District Court in order to pressure the BLM to increase clearcutting while eliminating popular conservation measures such as the protections for the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument.

Public Cut Out of the Process

Throughout fire country in southwest Oregon and northwest California conscientious public lands managers are attempting to work with communities and stakeholders to develop restoration and forest resiliency projects. Many of these collaboratives have been successful and brought communities together to plan for the future of their forests. This is not the case for the Medford District BLM timber program. Due to the BLM’s decision to emphasize logging above all other forest values in the “harvest land base” and due to the legal pressure by the timber industry, there really is no meaningful way for the public to influence BLM planning in projects like Bear Grub. Put simply, the BLM does not care what you think. Their position is that since they designated your forests as the “harvest land base” that concerns about fire hazard, wildlife, recreation and watershed values are irrelevant. The BLM intends to log Bear Grub no matter what you think and no matter what the consequences will be.