I fished this morning on a local river. There is a logging operation going on very near the river on a very steep slope. How can I find out if the logging is legal and properly permitted?

Don't worry about it! That single row of birch trees at river's edge will hold that hillside if it slides. Not a big deal. Remember how well the buffer zones worked on the Chehalis?

Check with the county, find who owns the land, and also wether or not a permit was issued.

DNR should have some answers if it is their land. Maybe WDFW might have some info - call the regional office. If neither of those, then I'd hope/think the county should be able to help. Good luck

There is no way an operation like that can be there without multiple layers of paperwork....no log can be sold without a state "number".

Bufferstrips are left to provide shade on the water, and eventually debris in the streambed (natural cover), not to "hold" the hill up there if it slides.

Maybe drive up to the site and see if anyone has the time to talk to you about what's going on...they are just working men, with families, who probably hook their share of fish on the weekends.

Depending on the what county it's in, the county assessor's website might have an interactive property map where you can find out who owns it.

The State controls all logging operations, that's where to find the answers. In Oregon it's called the Department of Forestry, it's got to be similar in other nearby states...

What river Dave?

That slope has probably been logged three or more times with a clearcut at least once about 60-90 years ago, all the way to the creek; and by some pretty crude means back in the day. Todays forest management places a high value on wildlife, public relations, and don't forget some ladder climbing bureacrat had to sign off on the paper somewhere...............

Pilchuck

Some times I wonder how they get the 100ft buffer zone, the measuring tape must be missing the first 50 feet. We need larger buffers, that is a fact.

30 foot buffers in some areas, more in others. Depends on issues. The drainage west of the Wynoochee saw LOTS of blowdown, so you'll see some of that going on.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 Billilon (that's a Carl Sagan Billion) board feet down in Pacific County, and another Billion down in Grays Harbor county. If that is on state timberland, then they either let it go, costing schools money that they had planned on, or leave it for fire starter. (Schools are the primary recipient of funds from logging on state land.) They have 6 months or less to harvest before it stains and becomes unmarketable.

If anyone wants the Weyerhauser report on the events leading up to and including the storm I can send you the PDF.

Regardless if there had been harvest or not, here would have been substantial issues. Just look at what happened around Lake Quinault, and that river. Notice how the lake is slate gray? The area has seen MINIMAL HARVEST.

Edited to add: Looks like wrong river. There was a spot or two being harvested on the Nooch.

Don't worry, it will be stabilized when all the houses are built.

I'd like you to send me the Weyco report when you have time.
Thanks.

I feel my blood pressure rising. Any SOB who even remotely thinks that clear-cutting hillsides that far down is OK is beyond caring about the effects. If that is a permitted cut, the person who signed off on it should be exposed. Unbelievable!

Dave:

Pull up this SnoCo complaint investigation link:

http://www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/Departmen...eViolations.htm

Provide the appropritate information and let the County code enforcement staff do their work. The challenge here is coming up with a parcel # or address for this forested parcel. Section, Township, & Range or description of nearby roads would probably be enough. Looks like a clearing violation within the buffer no doubt.

BD

Dave -
Forest practices are regulated by the DNR - contact them. The local office for that area is in Sedro Woolley.

The rules under Forest and Fish can be found here:

http://www.dnr.wa.gov/forestpractices/rules/

For leave strips click on timber harvest and scroll down to page 9 where you'll find the required widths. Your project does not look to be within the guidelines but the DNR may have an explaination.

Forest and Fish is a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and we can expect those rules will be the "norm" for the next 50 years. But not to worry the Feds have determined that such practices don't represent a significant risk to listed critters. Of course if there is an adverse impact on a listed fish for such activities we as a society seem to expect the fishers will pick up the need reduction on impacts to prevent the resource from sliding towards extinction.

There is a nice review of Forest and Fish in the latest "Osprey" - bottom line not the best thing for the fish. There has been some interesting discussions on the SalmonBerry in Oregon and the timber harvest practices there floating around on the "net" recently as well. Looks even worst than here.

Might be an interesting topic for an article but then you would be taking on one of our sacred cows. Politics seem to dictate that the situation be left as is; I would say t.i.c. if it were not so sad.

Tight lines
Curt

I'm glad someone found it as appauling as I did. That bank is probably the most unstable section on the entire river. Trees were constantly crashing down into the river....before the logging.

Addicted watched the clay bank turn the river to the color of a latte in about 2 minutes earlier in the year...before the logging. The photo gives the appearance that there is an adequate buffer, but in reality there is virtually no buffer zone, a couple of trees and that's it. Not against logging, but I am against logging that steep slope with a precarious bank so close to the river.

Ike

My friend is a Forester for the DNR in that area, I will ask him about it.