March 14, 2025 3:40 a.m.
On Thursday, the Douglas Timber Operators issued a formal call for a complete revision of the Northwest Forest Plan.
A DTO release said in a letter to the Chief of the United States Forest Service Tom Schultz, DTO Executive Director Matt Hill outlined what the organization believes are the plan’s failure to deliver on its economic and environmental promises, urging immediate action in light of President Trump’s recent Executive Order on American Timber production.
Originally enacted in 1994 under the Clinton-Gore administration, Hill said the NWFP promised a “predictable and sustainable level of timber sales” while protecting critical habitats like that of the Northern Spotted Owl. However, DTO asserts that the plan has fallen short on both fronts. In the Umpqua National Forest, timber harvests have plummeted from over 300 million board feet annually pre-1990s to a current guideline of just 25 mmbf. Hill said that it is enough to supply local mills for only 14 days per year. Meanwhile, wildfires have ravaged 44 percent of the UNF since 1987, disproportionately impacting reserve areas and accelerating the loss of old-growth forests and owl habitat.
Hill said DTO’s letter highlights several critical issues:
*Economic Collapse: The UNF has never met its Allowable Sale Quantity of 78 mmbf, leaving local mills and county services underfunded
*Wildfire Crisis: 63 percent of burned acres in the UNF occur in Late-Successional Reserves, with high-severity fires erasing habitat gains and converting forests to brushlands.
*Environmental Setbacks: The Northern Spotted Owl population has declined by 61.8 percent on federal lands within the NWFP area since the plan’s inception
*Recreation and Health Impacts: Wildfires and their aftermath annual impact summer recreation while smoke affects air quality in nearby towns.
In response to President Trump’s Executive Order mandating timber sale targets, DTO proposes forming a technical working group of experienced forest managers to draft a revisited NWFP by the end of 2025. The group would leverage existing data to balance economic vitality and environmental resilience.
Hill said, “Douglas County remains the Timber Capital of the World. We stand ready to work with the Forest Service to create a plan that delivers for our mills, our forests, and our future”.
DTO’s letter to the USFS is linked: Revising the NW Forest Plan | DTO