The U.S. Forest Service rescinded its decision to allow chain saws in
two Southwest Colorado wilderness areas, at least temporarily, because
of heavy snowpack that will keep trail crews out of areas in need of
trail maintenance.The Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Regional forester, Brian Ferebee,
approved the use of chain saws in May to remove bark beetle-killed trees obstructing trails in the Weminuche and South San Juan wilderness areas. The Forest Service planned to use chain saws because beetle-killed trees are falling so quickly across the forest it can’t keep trails clear using crosscut saws, Forest Service staff previously told The Durango Herald.
Conservation groups challenged the use of chain saws and filed a lawsuit to block their use. The groups argued using chain saws would violate federal law that prohibits the use of motorized equipment in wilderness areas except in emergency situations. Ferebee reversed the contentious decision to use chain saws in a letter sent to forest supervisors Monday based on reports that avalanches are blocking trails.
The snow conditions make it unlikely the Forest Service would see any “substantial benefit” from chain saws because the work would have to be delayed until after July 8, Ferebee said.
He rescinded his decision to allow chain saws until the agency’s “assessed needs are completed.” A request to the Forest Service for clarification about what completing “assessed needs” entails was not immediately returned Tuesday evening.
Conservation groups, including Great Old Broads for Wilderness, San Juan Citizens Alliance and Wilderness Watch, applauded the Forest Service’s announcement in a news release.
Conservation groups previously argued
in a lawsuit that the Forest Service’s decision was made in secret and
the agency should have sought public participation to come up with
alternative plans to clear trails. The lawsuit will now be
dismissed after the announcement, said Mark Pearson, executive director
of the San Juan Citizens Alliance. In Tuesday’s letter, Ferebee directed his staff to explore working with
groups interested in helping clear trails with non-motorized equipment.
He asked staff to research whether the groups can provide “sources of
skilled labor that would reduce the need to perform trail maintenance
with chain saws.”...
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This is a good example of how a wilderness designation accomplishes the acts primary purpose: to limit public access. Go ahead and enjoy your hike on a wilderness trail with more than 40 downed trees crossing the trail per mile.
This is also a good example of how wilderness non-management can be detrimental to surrounding federal lands, state lands and private property.
You can view the FS decision memo here.
1 comment:
To be sure the decision makers about the use of power saws on trails never get out of the office and onto the trails. Try and find someone who can set the teeth on a whipsaw and harder still try to find two men who know how to use one. How many cuts are needed to clear a 20inch diameter tree from a trail? Now figure how many hours it will take to clear 20 trees per mile? All for the great Wilderness esthetic. Used oats!!
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