EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Conservation groups are challenging a logging project on the Willamette National Forest over plans to cut big trees from spotted owl habitat, streamside areas and a potential future wilderness area.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Eugene.
Doug Heiken of Oregon Wild says the U.S. Forest Service should have gone through a much more detailed environmental analysis before going ahead with the Goose timber sale near the community McKenzie Bridge.
He adds that the Forest Service considered an alternative that focused on thinning projects in second-growth planted after clearcutting, but chose to go ahead with cutting big trees in sensitive areas.
The Forest Service did not immediately respond to an email and telephone calls for comment.
