A federal judge in late July cleared an Oregon logging project to proceed after environmental groups challenged the project.
Applegate Siskiyou Alliance and Klamath Forest Alliance filed suit in March against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), alleging the agency unlawfully authorized the removal of hardwood trees under the Ashland SOS Project, at odds with the original plan.
“The court is satisfied the agency took a ‘hard look’ at the environmental consequences of hardwood tree removal within the meaning of (National Environmental Policy Act),” U.S. District Judge Michael McShane wrote in his 17-page opinion. “The court will not second-guess BLM’s decision to analyze the project’s impact across treatment units and not by specific tree type.”
As such, McShane rejected the groups’ request for a preliminary injunction.
