Mercedes-Benz ad won’t be shot in Ore. forest

BEND, Ore. (AP) — A proposal to film a Mercedes-Benz commercial in the Deschutes National Forest in Central Oregon has collapsed.

The Bulletin newspaper in Bend (http://bit.ly/xpLAt1) reported Wednesday that a location scout says the U.S. Forest Service dragged its heels, and the agency says the scout turned in skimpy paperwork.

The idea was to film a Mercedes-Benz sport utility vehicle driving on the Cascade Lakes Highway, with Mount Bachelor in the background.

Location scout Doug Reynolds says filming would have injected more than $150,000 into the local economy.

But the Forest Service says his application did not address safety concerns over bringing two SUVs and a helicopter into an area busy with people on snowmobiles, cross-country skis and snowshoes.

The ad will be shot in California, instead.

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Information from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com