BROOKINGS, Ore. – Federal officials are looking for the public’s opinion in regards to proposed timber harvesting in the burned-out area of the Chetco Bar Fire.
The fire was started by lightning this past summer during a thunderstorm that passed over the Kalmiopsis Wilderness.
The fire eventually grew large enough to prompt evacuation orders for some residents in Curry and Josephine Counties. The Cheto Bar Fire covered 191,125 acres before favorable weather started to give firefighters the upper hand.
Complete containment of the fire wasn’t finished until November 2, 2017.
On April 14, 2018, the U.S. Forest Service announced the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest’s Gold Beach Ranger District is proposing a salvage harvest on 4,090 acres burned in the Chetco Bar Fire.
The location of the planned harvest area is about 11 miles northeast of Brookings.
According to the USFS, the purpose of the project is to harvest dead, dying and/or damaged trees in a timely manner.
Chetco Bar Coordinator Jessie Berner said, “Our team of natural resource specialist worked diligently to provide a proposed action that meets our project objective of harvesting fire-killed trees while considering sensitive ecological areas and economic feasibility.”
The environmental assessment can be accessed by clicking the “analysis” tab at the following USFS website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=53150
Additional information can be obtained by contacting Lori Bailey at the Gold Beach Ranger District office at 29279 Ellensburg Avenue in Gold Beach, zip code 97444, phone number 541-247-3666.
Public comments will be accepted for 30 days following the USFS notice of the proposal. You can email comments to [email protected]
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