AFRC, Eastern Oregon Counties File Opposition Brief in Eastside Screens Lawsuit
By Garrett Christensen on Thursday, February 23rd, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
EASTERN OREGON – (Information from the American Forest Resources Council) In a recent release, the American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) announced that they, in conjunction with the Eastern Oregon Counties Association (EOCA) have filed an opposition brief in defense of the U.S. Forest Service’s “Eastside Screens” Amendment.
According to the U.S. Forest service, the original guidelines for the Eastside Screens, “limits harvest of trees greater than 21 inches for the Umatilla, Wallowa-Whitman, Malheur, Ochoco, Deschutes, and Fremont-Winema National Forests.” In 2021, the guidelines were amended to no longer prohibit harvest of trees based on size or age requirements and instead switch to an “adaptive management” system based on other habitat criteria as written in the Forest Service’s 2021 Executive Summary.
According to the AFRC, a lawsuit was filed in 2021 by six groups in opposition to the amendment. The AFRC claims these groups site unaccounted environmental impacts and ongoing controversy within the scientific community as the reason for the lawsuit. The case is being overseen by U.S. District Court Judge Andrew D. Hallman in Pendleton and Oral arguments are expected to be held on May 1, 2023.
The joint AFRC EOCA opposition brief can be read at eastDkt-62-Def-Int.-Summary-Judgment-Brief.pdf (amforest.org).
