ANATOMY OF A TIMBER SALE

WOOD HARVEST: Heavy equipment is used to process logs in the Deschutes National Forest on The Red Plague timber sale, one of about 10 active logging sales in the forest. (The Bulletin, Bend/DEAN GUERNSEY).

By RACHEL ODELL

The Bend Bulletin

BEND —

When Deschutes National Forest officials began to plan a timber sale between Skyliners Road and Century Drive in 1997, they noted a handful of single-track mountain bike trails they planned to log around.

But by the time loggers got around to cutting down trees in the Katalo Commercial Thin (CT) this summer, the popular single-track trails in ‘‘Phil's Trail'' had expanded like the strands in a spider web, reaching well into logging units.

Some in the cycling community howled when the Forest Service closed some trails for safety reasons. The protests continued even after officials explained that the logging would improve the health of the forest, remove dead and dying trees, and reduce the risk of wildfire.

The interaction underscores a shift in how the region's residents view logging — the defining economic force in Central Oregon's evolution.

Today, loggers still cut trees, but at about one-tenth of the pace of their fathers and grandfathers. Currently, there are about 12 active logging sales on the Ochoco and Deschutes national forests, according to agency officials.

The Deschutes National Forest currently produces about 74 million board feet of timber, about 50 percent of the 141 million board feet produced 10 years ago.

From 1995 to 2001, the Ochoco National Forest experienced a drop in the amount of timber offered for sale, from 27 million board feet in 1995 to 14 million board feet six years later. And during this summer's devastating wildfire season, state and national politicians focused on the decline in logging.

Twenty-five years ago, when logging was the primary focus of the forests, agency officials planned, prepared and sold a sale within one year, said Jim Schlaich, presale contractor for the Deschutes. Much of the time, loggers clear-cut the forests or removed almost all the trees.

‘‘It's a lot easier to plan a clear-cut than a selective sale,'' Schlaich said.

These days, once the agency sells a timber sale, the logging company works closely with the Forest Service to develop a contract outlining the specifics of the sale.

An extensive document that can be 200 pages, the contract specifies what size trees may be cut and where, the number of trees that must be left standing, and financial details about the deposits and fees the timber company pays.

Unlike a generation ago, logging does not happen without extensive planning, and timber sales are in the making long before officials actually meet with loggers and offer an area up for bid, said Bill Peterson, silviculturist for the Deschutes National Forest.

Each ranger district in the forest has management plans for different watersheds, and those plans outline ‘‘vegetation projects,'' which include timber sales.

Officials maintain a list of priority sale locations where they would like to log. For instance, the stretch of land abutting Century Drive between Bend and Mount Bachelor falls into a priority logging area.

Once officials decide where to log, a team of biologists, soil scientists and other specialists head into the field to monitor the area for rare plants and animals.

They look for endangered species, such as the spotted owl, and other protected species like raptors. Officials try to monitor an area for at least two years to gather data, Peterson said.

Following that period, officials prepare an environmental analysis, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. That process can take one to two years. Following the analysis, the district ranger decides whether to authorize a sale. Once authorized, the sale is subject to appeal, a process that adds about six months.

If a group or person appeals the sale and loses the appeal, they can sue the agency to stop the sale. That can add years to the process. But if the sale isn't appealed, or if an appeal is denied, the agency notifies the public that it will offer a logging sale and asks for sealed bids.

That notification specifies the acreage and estimated harvestable timber from the sale, and proposes a starting bid. Logging companies must present a cashier's check or a bond to ensure their commitment to the sale, and then officials begin an oral auction. Once the sale is sold, logging companies usually have up to three years to cut the timber.

This entire process, including the time allotted to the companies to log the timber, can take seven to 10 years.

The wildlife surveys for the Katalo project began in 1995. Although that sale wasn't appealed, logging did not begin until this year. Crown Pacific bought the sale in 1999 and subcontracted to Rose Logging. Crown Pacific saw the sale as ‘‘shelf stock'' and waited three years to log it.

The contract for the Katalo sale fits into a three-ring binder 4 inches thick. By contrast, a contract to log private land is usually about six pages, said Trevor Stone of Crown Pacific. Forest Service contracts are time consuming and exhaustive, he said.

‘‘The level of analysis is immense,'' Stone said. ‘‘A lot of people think we go out there with our chain saws and just start logging when the Forest Service sells a sale. Actually, the agency is very specific as far as what we can and cannot do.''

Eric Meglasson, president of Central Oregon Trails Alliance, a mountain biking advocacy group, said the logging on Phil's Trail brought the issue of logging to the surface for many recreationists.

Acknowledging the protests from mountain bikers, Meglasson said that logging will benefit the forests in the long run and that he believes recreation and logging can coexist.

‘‘No one is excited to see logging when it happens. It is ugly,'' Meglasson said. ‘‘But most people realize that forests need to be managed and that logging can be done in a way to benefit the forest and the trails in the long run.''