Anvil Project

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The Clackamas River Ranger District of Mt Hood National Forest is proposing a new timber project being called the Anvil Vegetation Management Project. Approximately 4,000 acres may be proposed for commercial logging and non-commercial fuels reduction work. The “Public Engagement” letter is light on details, but we’ve been surveying the project area and talking with FS staff for months, so here is what we know so far:

What we know

• The areas proposed for commercial thinning/logging are plantations under 80 years old. These are areas that were clearcut in the past and replanted, usually with one or two tree species.
• There were some units on early draft maps that contained unlogged mature and old-growth forest. Our surveys of these units and dialogue with the Forest Service ensured that those areas were not included in the project.
• This project will have a roadside fuels reduction component. We don’t yet know specifics, but the recent Stone Creek EA proposed the removal of trees/shrubs under 7 inches in diameter to create a “shaded fuel break” along specific road segments.

What Bark Thinks

It can be hard to write a comment without much detail to comment on, but here are some general things to advocate for.

• Advocate for meaningful Tribal consultation and inclusion.
  • Stand up for Tribes and ensure that the Forest Service upholds its trust responsibilities with regional Tribes like the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.
• Retain biological legacies.
  • Biological legacies are features left behind after the previous logging operation. Things like large living trees, large snags (standing dead trees), and large downed logs. These features are critical for wildlife habitat and are an essential part of diverse forests.
• Tell the Forest Service to close or decommission unneeded and problematic roads.
  • All Forests in the region got orders to not propose changes to their road system during project planning. We think this is wrong. Roads have a long list of negative impacts, like habitat fragmentation, stream sedimentation, aquatic passage barriers, spreading noxious weeds, and increasing chances for wildfire ignitions. The Forest should be reducing the density of roads in the project area.
• Encourage the use of fire
  • Fire plays a critical role in supporting biodiversity in the forest. The Forest Service should explore opportunities to put fire on the ground.

——> Photos and Track Logs from Groundtruthing

• In the folder above you’ll find photos and track logs from groundtruthing surveys we did in the Anvil project area.
• Folders in green are units included in the most recent draft map of the project. Because we don’t have unit numbers yet, the folders are named with the date of the survey.
• Inside you’ll find KML/KMZ files. Open this file in Google Earth to view our tracks and photo points!