A federal appeals court has upheld the U.S. Forest Service's authority to decide whether a tree is likely to die soon after a forest fire. But it ordered the agency to take a closer look at whether they should log at all after fires in small roadless areas -- parts of forests that have never been logged.
The ruling Wednesday by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals came in a challenge of salvage logging on the Malheur National Forest in Eastern Oregon following a 2005 fire.
Forest Service spokesman Tom Knappenberger said the agency is glad to get a good road map from the court for analyzing future salvage logging. Doug Heiken of the conservation group Oregon Wild says the ruling was important for recognizing that even small roadless areas merit a higher level of protection.The AP via the Seattle Post Intelligencer
