The proposed Late Mungers and Penn Butte timber sales would open up over 800 acres of forest in the Applegate Valley to commercial logging. The auctions were scheduled to take place Jan. 25, but were abruptly rescheduled for April 25.
These sales, that include old-growth forest, have been fought since at least 2022 by environmental groups that argue commercial logging will increase wildfire risk and that the plan has gone ahead without proper environmental review.
“It sure does appear that the BLM is not very confident in the legality of these timber sales," said George Sexton, conservation director for KS Wild, a conservation group suing to stop the sales.
BLM Public Affairs Specialist Kyle Sullivan said it’s common for timber sales to be delayed. The agency is still moving forward with the timber sales in late April. According to the BLM, the project will reduce forest density which will help slow the spread of wildfires. Sullivan said the agency has been getting more requests from logging companies to delay timber sales until closer to when logging would begin in May.
"BLM timber contracts typically last four years," Sullivan said via email. "There are periods when operations need to be paused (high fire danger, too wet or snowy conditions). Timber prices fluctuate. By auctioning closer to when operations will begin, the timber value is better aligned with the harvest."
The Late Mungers and Penn Butte timber sales are the first under a new forest management plan by the Medford BLM, known as the Integrated Vegetation Management Plan or IVM. It's intended to speed up approval of forest treatment projects and improve forest resilience.
Critics, like Sexton, say the IVM plan cuts out opportunities for public comment, and fast-tracks logging of old-growth forests, removing habitat for the endangered northern spotted owl.
The lawsuit from KS Wild along with Cascadia Wildlands, Oregon Wild and the Soda Mountain Wilderness Council could force the BLM to conduct a more thorough environmental review of these projects before they’re put up for sale. Oral arguments are scheduled for early April.
