Forest Service in the News©
NATIONAL NEWS
Preventing Forest Fires, Washington Post editorial
Consortium to Preserve, Study Ancient Forests at 'Cross Timbers', a vast tract of old growth forest that stretches from Kansas through Oklahoma into Texas, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville / Newswise
The Cross Timbers and Post Oak Savanna, Ancient Cross Timbers Consortium
Wyo. firm backs feds on aging air tankers - Report recommends stricter inspections, maintenance of fleet, Rocky Mountain News

For forest fee critics, a small victory, Idaho Mountain Express editorial
Rec fees could become standard for parks - Opponents say safeguards need to be in place, Idaho Statesman
U.S. lands in Wyoming bring $11M in visitor fees - Visitors to Forest Service lands paid $367,439, Billings Gazette
Scientist scale tallest trees to gauge max - Daring scientists find trees' upper limit -- 425 feet, The Sun Herald
Beneficial urban trees are in decline, Los Angeles Times at Seattle TImes
We're throwing away prime lumber, Los Angeles Times at Seattle TImes
West Braces for Intense Fire Season - Drought and Early Spring Blazes Portend a Long, Hot Summer, Authorities Say, Washington Post

Tale of Two Forests: Colville and Idaho Panhandle, Spokane Inlander
Justifying the Cut: HFRA, Spokane Inlander
Logging's Legacy, Spokane Inlander
End fees to access federal land, Great Falls Tribune editorial
Craig Chairs Hearing on Recreation User Fees - Witnesses Included the Forest Service, BLM, and Idaho's Director of Tourism, US Senate
Fee-Demo Hearing, US Senate Energy Resources Committee
Earth Day at 34: What Changed?, Minneapolis Star Tribune op-ed by Mike Dombeck
Hug an Old-Growth Tree - Earthjustice battles the Bush administration's attempts to increase old-growth logging, Earthjustice Newsroom
Free trade puts pests in position to destroy, Washington Post at Register-Guard
Caught in the treads of unethical ads, ESPN / Izaak Walton League
Orphanage wins conservation award, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
It's Time for 'Mormans and Heathens for a Better Utah' - Shining a torch on hypocrisy, Canyon Country Zephyr

Employees' Group Petitions For Fair Hearings, Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics
U.S. is accused of conflict of interest in timber sale cases - Group says Forest Service stands to gain from rules it sets, Post-Intelligencer AP
Fire Plan, or Smokescreen?, Los Angeles Times editorial
Court hears appeal in forest fire arson conviction - Former USFS worker contends she was tracked illegally while in her government vehicle and under suspicion of arson on the Umpqua NF, Oregonian
IMBA study sparks debate on use - IMBA advocates allowing mountain biking in wilderness, Summit Daily
WORLD NEWS

Bright Spots in the Rain Forest, New York Times op-ed

Amazon destruction rising fast - Brazil has launched a $140 million plan to reverse Amazon deforestation, CS Monitor

Blue Tier logging begins, ABC Tasmania News
Two held over anti-logging demo, The Daily Telegraph
S.C. Johnson gives $50,000 to restore rain forest - Project aims to help rejuvenate Ecuador's native tree species, wildlife, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
CONGRESS & WASHINGTON
Chairman Pombo Issues ESA Report, "A Mandate for Modernization" - Resources Committee to begin efforts to repair broken law, Committee on Resources
The ESA at 30: A Mandate for Modernization - A report by Richard W. Pombo, Chairman, House Committee on Resources
Forest Subcommittee Considers Tribal Forest Protection Act - Bill gives tribes the means to help protect their land via 'stewardship contracting', Committee on Resources

Forest Subcommittee Considers Tribal Forest Protection Act - Bill gives tribes the means to help protect their land, House Resources Committee
Rec fees could become standard for parks - Opponents say safeguards need to be in place, Idaho Statesman
U.S. lands in Wyoming bring $11M in visitor fees - Visitors to Forest Service lands paid $367,439, Billings Gazette
Sucker Punch - "Sound Science" Movement Threatens ESA - How conservatives are trying to use a conflict over obscure fish to gut the science behind the Endangered Species Act, Legal Affairs
Sounding the Alarm - A Republican environmental icon takes a reasoned swipe at Bush's record, Mother Jones Magazine

Fee-Demo Hearing, US Senate Energy Resources Committee
End fees to access federal land, Great Falls Tribune editorial
Park priorities - National Park Service director tours Bandelier to show how higher fees are helping address maintenance backlog, Santa Fe New Mexican
The Unkindest Cut, Government Executive Magazine op-ed

NORTHERN REGION (Region 1):
Montana and Northern Idaho
Road Closed - USFS travel plan for the Pryor and Beartooth mountains, The Billings Outpost
Dirty gold? Jewelers urge miners to clean up - Tiffany leads way with ad against Montana mine, MSNBC
Phillips grad enjoys working outdoors - Mark Blomberg packs mules for hunting, fishing, construction crews, The-Bee


Tale of Two Forests: Colville and Idaho Panhandle, Spokane Inlander
Justifying the Cut: HFRA, Spokane Inlander
Logging's Legacy, Spokane Inlander
Court halts Forest Service plan amid conservationists' lawsuit - Groups say Iron Honey Project more problem than solution, Spokesman-Review
Court delays Iron Honey logging project pending decision, Headwaters Idaho Falls Post Register
Groups wrangle over North Idaho forests - Environmentalists, Forest Service meet in court to argue on projects, Spokesman-Review

Forest gears up for mushroom rush, Kalispell Daily Inter Lake

Economic benefits of recovery omitted from bull trout report - 55 pages of benefits removed from report, Missoulian
Don't wait for grizzly transplant, Kalispell Daily Inter Lake editorial
ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION (Region 2):
Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming
Grant to boost fire prevention - Foothills tree-thinning, fully staffed Boulder wildland team are planned, Boulder Daily Camera
Wolves galore, Cody Enterprise

U.S. lands in Wyoming bring $11M in visitor fees - Visitors to Forest Service lands paid $367,439, Billings Gazette
Ski industry's future clouded, Denver Post editorial

Daschle represents Hills' interests, Black Hills Pioneer letter

Black Hills NF: Local control gets first test, Rapid City Journal editorial
IMBA study sparks debate on use - IMBA advocates allowing mountain biking in wilderness, Summit Daily
SOUTHWESTERN REGION (Region 3):
Arizona and New Mexico
Greenlee ranchers oppose wolf project, Eastern Arizona Courier
Laney trial postponed, Silver City Daily Press

Coronado NF: Telescope is an opportunity and a controversy - U officials are anxious for sky time at Mount Graham, The Minnesota Daily
Telescope sits high as cultural divide runs deep - Apache tribe members consider the Mount Graham site holy, The Minnesota Daily
Clearing the Bosque - San Ildefonso restores land along Rio Grande to what it was like before the invasion of nonindigenous vegetation, Santa Fe New Mexican

Coronado NF: Telescope sits high as cultural divide runs deep - Apache tribe members consider the Mount Graham site holy, The Minnesota Daily
Gila Box Area could see rock barriers, Eastern Arizona Courier
Ag official Rey tries to take edge off Kit Laney case - "We're not a bunch of lying scoundrels and horse thieves", Albuquerque Journal
Pretend Fire Tests Crews, Mountain View Telegraph

Nasty Little Buggers - An Interview with Matt Rix, author of Beating the Bark Beetles: Defending Your Valuable Trees Against Bark Beetles and Other Destructive Pests, Alibi Weekly
Diamond Bar removal finished, Eastern Arizona Courier
Valle Vidal: Plundering a New Mexico Treasure - Carson NF: Houston-based El Paso Corporation hopes to use close ties to the White House to gain drilling access to Valle Vidal, Alibi Weekly
Conservationists file formal petition for rule-making for Mexican wolves - Petition timed for sixth anniversary of first release on March 29, 1998, Center for Biological Diversity
Gila River Threatened by Water Withdrawal Project - Massive water removal could be approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee soon!, Center for Biological Diversity

Coronado NF: Falls' danger is a matter of responsibility - Don't fence off nature for all because of the irresponsible actions of a few, Tucson Citizen editorial
La Osa change is cause for optimism, Arizona Daily Star editorial
INTERMOUNTAIN REGION (Region 4):
Southern Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and SW Wyoming

Bridger-Teton Forest will still close camp area - FS rejects pleas to keep campground open, Billings Gazette
NTSB pinpoints air tanker crash cause - Agency blames deadly firefighting incidents on inadequate maintenance procedures, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Potlatch earns seal of approval - Company passes tough audit to receive Forest Stewardship Council certification, Spokesman-Review
High-marking takes a toll, Spokesman-Review
Boulder-White Clouds: Creating our own destiny in central Idaho, Headwaters Idaho Falls PostRegister op-ed

Some Nevada Hunters Seek to Run ATVs Off Road - A growing number of sportsmen believe their pastime and public lands are under siege, Los Angeles Times
Forest Service plans South Hills timber removal ... It'll protect summer homes, rec sites from fire, agency says, Twin Falls Times-News
PACIFIC SOUTHWEST (Region 5): California
H.O.M.E. keeps the mountain free and clean - Volunteers receive an all use US Forest Service permit for the mountain, Mt. Shasta News
Redwoods - How tall can they grow?, San Francisco Chronicle
Researchers Set Height Limit on Tall Trees - including 'Photo Gallery: Big Trees of the World', NPR Morning Edition
U.S. court ruling leaves Yosemite work in limbo after the trees are logged, Sacramento Bee

Beneficial urban trees are in decline, Los Angeles Times at Seattle TImes
We're throwing away prime lumber, Los Angeles Times at Seattle TImes
Aging Firefighting Planes Pose Risk, Officials Say - Reporting on three fatal crashes, the National Transportation Safety Board calls for better detection of 'fatigue cracking', Los Angeles Times
Redcrest mills go up for auction, Eureka Times-Standard

USFS seeks Hispanic workers, The Union Democrat
Agile fishers' future shaky - Three isolated populations in Oregon and Northern California should be candidates for protection, biologists say, Oregonian

Fire Plan, or Smokescreen?, Los Angeles Times editorial
Shasta climbers rise above call of nature - Public reminded to pack out waste from mountain treks, Record Searchlight
Wrightwood Is Warned of Fire Threat - Hoping to avoid devastating blazes like those that hit nearby areas, the Forest Service plans logging, brush clearance, firebreaks, Los Angeles Times
Clear brush to reduce fire danger, panel urges - Also recommended are more firefighter training, staffing, equipment, communication, Sacramento Bee
Fire Review Panel Faults Bureaucracy - Governor's commission says rival groups fail to put people's lives ahead of their own agendas, Los Angeles Times
Angeles NF: Tribes, sheriff compromise over Red Box Station - Way is cleared for dual use of property, Pasadena Star-News
Hearst Ranch land deal worries skeptics - State has opportunity to buy and preserve land, but some worry it still could be developed, San Mateo County Times
PACIFIC NORTHWEST (Region 6):
Oregon and Washington
Feds want to salvage timber in Lake County, Klamath Falls Herald and News
Forest fire problems hit home, Klamath Falls Herald and News
Aid schools by getting best return on forest, Klamath Falls Herald and News editorial
Wild about morels: Chef and cookbook author shares secrets of serving these forest delicacies, Register-Guard
National Trails Day celebration plans readied, Klamath Falls Herald and News
Fall flood damage hampers forest access - Mount Baker-Snoqualmie NF says it will be 2005 before it has money to start fixing numerous washed-out trails, roads and bridges near Darrington, Everett Daily Herald
Roslyn saves land from loggers, Post Intelligencer
Steep hikes in lumber nail builders, Puget Sound Business Journal

Park status would harm Hood - You want to turn Oregon's tallest peak into another Yosemite? Didn't think so, Oregonian op-ed

Hug an Old-Growth Tree - Earthjustice battles the Bush administration's attempts to increase old-growth logging, Earthjustice Newsroom
Tale of Two Forests: Colville and Idaho Panhandle, Spokane Inlander
Justifying the Cut: HFRA, Spokane Inlander
Logging's Legacy, Spokane Inlander
Forestry efforts pay off, Corvallis Gazette-Times
Orphanage wins conservation award, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Coping with tent caterpillars - A chronicle of terror, Seattle Times
Agile fishers' future shaky - Three isolated populations in Oregon and Northern California should be candidates for protection, biologists say, Oregonian

Employees' Group Petitions For Fair Hearings, Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics
U.S. is accused of conflict of interest in timber sale cases - FSEEE says Forest Service stands to gain from rules it sets, Post-Intelligencer AP
Court hears appeal in forest fire arson conviction - Former USFS worker contends she was tracked illegally while in her government vehicle and under suspicion of arson on the Umpqua NF, Oregonian
Keep trails healthy, Statesman Journal
Forests can be managed well, Statesman Journal op-ed
Sell the Elliott? Forget it: Oregon's first state forest an irreplaceable asset, Register-Guard editorial

Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie NF: Forest Flood Damage Tops $10 Million - Some Recreation Trails and Roads Will be Cut Off in '04
Economic benefits of recovery omitted from bull trout report - 55 pages of benefits removed from report, Missoulian
SOUTHERN REGION (Region 8):
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
Public support builds for forest conservation - Some say tax breaks, legislative measures can slow forest loss, Smoky Mountain News
Consortium to Preserve, Study Ancient Forests at 'Cross Timbers', a vast tract of old growth forest that stretches from Kansas through Oklahoma into Texas, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville / Newswise
The Cross Timbers and Post Oak Savanna, Ancient Cross Timbers Consortium
LBL offers land-use options, The Leaf-Chronicle

Environmental group bashes Bush's forest law - Group claims Bush's Healthy Forest law poses a severe environmental threat to the Sam Houston NF, The Courier
In Celebration Of Earth Day, Boucher/Warner Introduce Bill To Protect Natural Beauty Of Southwest Virginia - Legislation Would Designate New Wilderness and National Scenic Areas, Promote Tourism, US House of Representatives

DeSoto NF: Black Creek logging suit filed, Biloxi Sun-Herald [scroll down]
Canopy creatures, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Granville discusses forest preservation, Henderson Daily Dispatch
Forest preservation not just Granville issue, Henderson Daily Dispatch editorial
EASTERN REGION (Region 9):
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Maine, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin
Ottawa NF closes recreation areas, Ironwood Daily Globe
Steady loss of land and struggles to regain rights - Creation of Chippewa NF in 1908 took 40% of Ojibwe land, Star Tribune
Logging-bill changes 'acceptable', Portland Press Herald
Park backers offer scaled-back plan, Portland Press Herald

Frogs readying for 'big night', Portland Press Herald


Signs of forest regrowth, The Union Leader
New rules would slow 'cut-and-run' harvests, Portland Press Herald editorial
Loggers gather to learn, Ironwood Daily Globe
S.C. Johnson gives $50,000 to restore rain forest - Project aims to help rejuvenate Ecuador's native tree species, wildlife, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel