Oregon Stream Protection Coalition Urges Board of Forestry to Act

An analysis of western Oregon harvest units completed over five years ago shows that stream temperatures on small and medium streams are elevated by logging allowed under Oregon’s Forest Practices Rules.  This study – now published in two scientific journals —  clearly shows that Oregon’s rules don’t protect the cold water that fish need according to standards set by the state’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and approved by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The loss of cold water habitats is a key reason why salmon, steelhead and bull trout have declined and require protection under the Endangered Species Act.  Yet, the Oregon Board of Forestry – whose job it is to ensure that logging rules meet water quality standards – continues to delay release of a new rule.

Twenty-one nonprofits formally joined together in June as the Oregon Stream Protection Coalition to demand that the state meet its obligations under the Clean Water Act with a new riparian protection rule.