Conservation groups hold public meetings on forest protections after feds won’t

Conservation groups hold public meetings on forest protections after feds won’t

The Still Creek area in the Mt. Hood National Forest is part of 2 million acres of Oregon land protected by the federal Roadless Rule. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service)PORTLAND— Before issuing sweeping protections on more than 30% of U.S. Forest Service-managed lands in 2001, federal officials spent more than a year holding 600 meetings across Western states and received more than 1.6 million public comments. But federal officials have…

Conservation groups hold public meetings on Oregon forest protections after feds won’t

Federal officials announced in August they would terminate a 25-year-old rule protecting from development on nearly 60 million acres of forests, including 2 million in Oregon.