Forest Service in the News©
NATIONAL NEWS
The Biscuit report, by ECONorthwest, Taxpayers for Common Sense
To Fee or Not to Fee, by Andy Stahl - Forest Magazine

Folly of tanker decision already clear - New Mexico's already been burned by bad decision, Missoulian editorial
Forestry department will use grounded air tankers - State of Oregon says the planes, which federal officials have deemed unsafe, are needed to prepare for the upcoming fire season, Oregonian
The Paper Chase - The paperless office is still a distant dream. In the interim, recycle more and develop alternatives to wood-based paper, E Magazine
On-call services cost $4 million - "Severity" money funds people and equipment not actually fighting fires, but poised to fight immediately if needed, Helena Independent Record
Not a big splash - Despite its multimillion-dollar price tag, studies show that firefighting doesn't have a significant impact on Montana's economy, Helena Independent Record
Changes on the horizon?, Helena Independent Record

Red Rock Pass on the rocks, Arizona Daily Sun
Forest Service's $90,000 PR contract proper, officials rule, Bakersfield Californian - Thompson AP
U.S. touts forestry law success in court - Law speeds tree-cutting - Goal is anti-fire; enviros worry about old trees, Post-Intelligencer AP
Get tankers back into the air quick, Kalispell Daily Inter Lake editorial
To fly again, Arizona Daily Star editorial
Elect a Congress to protect public land, Post-Intelligencer editorial

Siskiyou Restoration Plan will create over 400 new jobs in Southern Oregon - Plan focuses on watershed restoration activities and commercial logging in Biscuit Fire area, Siskiyou Wild Rivers

Firefighters Welcome Supertanker - Large aircraft can drop thousands of gallons more retardant than other tankers used in the past, Victorville Daily Press
If air tankers are safe, let them fly - The planes so crucial to fighting the West's forest fires should be grounded by real safety concerns, not red tape, Oregonian editorial
FAA to speed grounded air-tanker inspections - Congressmen push for return to air as wildfire season arrives, Bend Bugle
Air tanker loss a big blow - Worry among region's fire bosses rises as moisture levels in fuels drop, Spokesman-Review

Conservation Groups Release Primer to Help Homeowners and Communities Protect Themselves from Wildfire - Primer presents proven methods based on Forest Service research, Unified Forest Defense Campaign
Burning a forest to save it, San Francisco Chronicle op-ed
U.S. May Send Fewer Workers to the Fire Lines - Congressmen urge a funding boost to bump up crews for fighting blazes in the West, LA Times

Now's not the time to ground air tankers, Santa Fe New Mexican editorial
Air tanker decision makes sense, The Coloradoan editorial
Lawmakers Rethink Decision to Ground Firefighting Planes - House members say removing 33 tankers would cripple efforts during wildfire season, Los Angeles TImes
State planning to do without air tankers, Kalispell Daily Inter Lake
Air Tractor's AT-802 Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) Poised to Play Key Role in Fighting Wildfires For Feds & States in 2004 as Fire Season Begins and Heavy Air Tankers Grounded, PR Newswire
WORLD NEWS
Uruguay - Can Planting Trees Be Harmful? - Plantations are not forests, IPS-Inter Press Service
UN advises region to plant more trees - Afforestation can improve water quality, increase food production, Lebanon Daily Star


Canada to renew talks on U.S. lumber duties, Bloomberg News - Seattle PI
BofA expands clean-air, forest policies, San Francisco Business Times
Siberut's medicinal plants face extinction - "The disappearance of forest areas because of logging means our death", Jakarta Post
Late Friday News #137, Mangrove Action Project

Acacia Tree That Supported Sudan Becomes a War's Latest Victim - 'Gum Arabic' tree sap in short supply, New York Times
Asean timber trade not fully exploited, Daily Express, Sabah, Malaysia
Myanmar mired in a deforestation crisis - China's appetite for foreign timber has the country's forests disappearing at an alarming rate, The Globe and Mail
CONGRESS & WASHINGTON
To Fee or Not to Fee, by Andy Stahl - Forest Magazine
Endangered Forests Rally at the White House May 27, Unified Forest Defense Campaign

US Fish & Wildlife Indoctrination Proclaims Its "Scientific Excellence" - All Staff Required to Watch Video and "Dialogue", Peer News
U.S. District Court Keeps No-Spray Pesticide Buffers in Place to Protect Salmon - Judge issues strong order supporting the ESA, Earthjustice Newsroom
Elect a Congress to protect public land, Post-Intelligencer editorial

Working-forest bill clears Senate, Everett Daily Herald
Forest Service Gets Fire Aid, Los Angeles Times
Feds back protecting wild runs of salmon - An NOAA spokesman says counting hatchery fish will not lead to wholesale de-listing of endangered fish, Oregonian
Hatching salmon naturally - Clear Creek Hatchery boosts count by learning from wild coho cousins, Spokesman-Review
Greenpeace, U.S. Square Off in Dissent Battle - Prosecutors using 1872 law against environmental group, The Ledger AP

Lawmakers Rethink Decision to Ground Firefighting Planes - House members say removing 33 tankers would cripple efforts during wildfire season, Los Angeles TImes
HR 1904 has hidden meanings, Colorado Daily op-ed
Gone wild - Celebrating 40 years of the Wilderness Act, Missoula Independent - Writers on the Range

Ashcroft Fishes Out 1872 Law in a Bid to Scuttle Protester Rights - Sailor-mongering act rises from history as the feds try to cripple Greenpeace, Los Angeles Times
Forget Atkins -- a Big Land Grab Will Cut Your Flab - CARA now GO, Los Angeles Times op-ed
NORTHERN REGION (Region 1):
Montana and Northern Idaho
Folly of tanker decision already clear - New Mexico's already been burned by bad decision, Missoulian editorial
On-call services cost $4 million - "Severity" money funds people and equipment not actually fighting fires, but poised to fight immediately if needed, Helena Independent Record
Not a big splash - Despite its multimillion-dollar price tag, studies show that firefighting doesn't have a significant impact on Montana's economy, Helena Independent Record
Changes on the horizon?, Helena Independent Record

Burning through the cash - Firefighting free-for-all - Money is no object when wildfires burn, Helena Independent Record
Lawmakers say they've yet to see a breakdown of firefighting costs - State Forester unaware of individual costs of fires, Helena Independent Record
Wildfire cost controls needed, Helena Independent Record
Burned areas avoid severe erosion so far, Kalispell Daily Inter Lake
Massive bear study ready to start, Kalispell Daily Inter Lake

Air tanker loss a big blow - Worry among region's fire bosses rises as moisture levels in fuels drop, Spokesman-Review
Tree plan begins for Coulee Dam, The Star of Grand Coulee

Bitterroot NF: Rewards offered for conviction of gate vandals: - Smith Creek Road gate destroyed, Forest Service, FWA seeking info, Ravalli Republic
Flathead NF: Fire tours begin, Kalispell Daily Inter Lake
State planning to do without air tankers, Kalispell Daily Inter Lake
Wildfire official downplays impact of tanker decision - State making contingency plans for loss of slurry bombers, Missoulian
Three in park accused of mushroom rustling, Kalispell Daily Inter Lake
ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION (Region 2):
Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming
Group says all Americans have stake in uses of western lands - National wildlife group says drilling must not overwhelm nature, Casper Star-Tribune AP

Dercum dash gets thumbs down, Summit Daily News

Berthoud lodge is still needed, Denver Post editorial
Ag upholds grasslands decision, Casper Star-Tribune

Big beetle year expected, Rapid City Journal
More Coloradans take ATV trails, Rocky Mountain News
Wildfire preparedness heightens, Telluride Daily Planet
Wildfire: Beyond defensible space, Colorado Daily editorial
SOUTHWESTERN REGION (Region 3):
Arizona and New Mexico
Folly of tanker decision already clear - New Mexico's already been burned by bad decision, Missoulian editorial
12 Cabins Destroyed by Fire, Albuquerque Journal 5-27-04
Peppin fire expands overnight to 10,000 acres, Santa Fe New Mexican 5-24-04

Red Rock Pass on the rocks, Arizona Daily Sun
Are mountain lions in danger of disappearing? - The West's mountain lions are being hunted right out of their habitat, The Vail Trail
Recalling fires on Coronado NF Mt. Lemmon - Lessons learned about prevention, preparedness, after Bullock & Aspen fires burned off most of Mt. Lemmon, Tucson Citizen
A-S NF: Wildfire season heats up, White Mountain Independent
Shooting of dog-walker called justified - Grant Kuenzli was killed May 11 on a forest trail north of Payson, Arizona Republic

Coronado NF: 'Stalking' mountain lion slain - Wildlife officers shoot cougar a day after bicyclists report being threatened on Mount Lemmon, Arizona Daily Star
Klump Country Blues, Tucson Weekly

Kirtland Citing Otero Users - Armed military police enforcing closure of popular forest biking area in 'withdrawn' Cibola NF, Mountain View Telegraph
Now's not the time to ground air tankers, Santa Fe New Mexican editorial

Refusing to evacuate could be deadly, White Mountain Independent
Who's responsible for forest health? , White Mountain Independent
Still stumped, Arizona Daily Sun
Well plan prompts protest, The Payson Roundup
INTERMOUNTAIN REGION (Region 4):
Southern Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and SW Wyoming
Carson River's East Fork too low for some recreation - Forest Service warns rafters of low Carson River flows, Reno Gazette Journal
Trees on the Trail, Elko Daily Free Press


New trails' impact focus of meeting - BLM working with USFS to develop a trail plan/environmental assessment, Reno Gazette Journal
Experts discuss Tahoe research, Reno Gazette Journal

Cemetery Point gets booze ban, Salt Lake Tribune
PACIFIC SOUTHWEST (Region 5): California

Forest Service's $90,000 PR contract proper, officials rule, Bakersfield Californian - Thompson AP
A Disservice to Forests, Los Angeles Times letter
Answers are sought to airborne firefighting - Grounding of the nation's tanker fleet has fire officials looking for replacements, Press-Enterprise
Retardant holds hope for San Bernardino forest - Crews will spread the substance in vulnerable areas to buy time for firefighters, Press-Enterprise

Firefighters Welcome Supertanker - Large aircraft can drop thousands of gallons more retardant than other tankers used in the past, Victorville Daily Press
Speak Up for the Forest, Los Angeles Times editorial
Old mining law lets some grab valuable land - Foreign firms and others have scooped up public property for dirt-cheap prices, Sacramento Bee
Storm debris fuels fire threat, Redding Record Searchlight

Trail of 100 Giants may be closed for months - Snags might fall, Kern Valley Sun
Q&A with Art Gaffrey, Tulare Advance-Register
Wrightwood eyes wildfire awareness - Saturday meeting to focus on need for tree removal, Victorville Daily Press
Volunteers protect saplings from sun, San Bernardino County Sun
Feinstein secures waiver, Big Bear Grizzly
Governor wants to cut red-tape for logging plans - Environmentalists say proposal is far too lax, Marin Independent Journal
PG&E sued over 1999 fire, Appeal-Democrat
PACIFIC NORTHWEST (Region 6):
Oregon and Washington
The Biscuit report, by ECONorthwest, Taxpayers for Common Sense
Lawsuit stalls hydro project relicensing - Conservationists sue Forest Service, saying agency didn't listen to its scientists regarding habitat, The News-Review
Roadless rule benefits taxpayers, environment - The government can't afford upkeep on the roads already built, Statesman Journal editorial
Oregon seeks air tankers to fill gap, Albany Democrat-Herald
Forestry department will use grounded air tankers - State of Oregon says the planes, which federal officials have deemed unsafe, are needed to prepare for the upcoming fire season, Oregonian
Gorge panel allows more activities - Proposals that need further approval would permit weddings and fish processing in the scenic area, Oregonian
Unhappy Trails - The Northwest's backcountry offers a grim preview of what's to come thanks to global warming, Seattle Weekly

Senator's block of nursery bill may be payback - Murray needed Waldens support for Wild Sky bill, Bend Bulletin
Elect a Congress to protect public land, Post-Intelligencer editorial
Weyerhaeuser guilty of illegal alder monopoly - A jury awards millions to a Washington mill that accused the timber giant of hoarding alder logs, Oregonian

What to do with all those trees? - Timber industry and environmentalists lock horns on possible largest timber sale in state history, Daily Vanguard
Siskiyou Restoration Plan will create over 400 new jobs in Southern Oregon - Plan focuses on watershed restoration activities and commercial logging in Biscuit Fire area, Siskiyou Wild Rivers
Details of Plan, Siskiyou Wild Rivers

If air tankers are safe, let them fly - The planes so crucial to fighting the West's forest fires should be grounded by real safety concerns, not red tape, Oregonian editorial
No letup in the fight to keep our wilderness wild - Is compromise worth the costs?, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Working-forest bill clears Senate, Everett Daily Herald

Biscuit Fire Efforts 'Poorly Coordinated', Oregon Pubic Broadcasting
Depleted resources helped fuel Biscuit Fire, Register-Guard - Barnard AP
Public Views on the Biscuit Fire Recovery Project: An Analysis of Comments on the U.S. Forest Service's Draft EIS, The Wilderness Society
Lower-cost Diamond Lake fish restocking option sought - Restocking: Alternative 3 least affects lake's water quality, The News-Review
Port-Orford-Cedar in Southwest Oregon: Record of Decision for the Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment/Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for Management available, Federal Register

One Salmon Species May be De-Listed, Oregon Pubic Broadcasting
SOUTHERN REGION (Region 8):
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

More soldiers, money en route to Fort Polk - EIS includes long-term military training use of Kisatchie National Forest Lands, The Town Talk

Law to remove burned trees sparks area fight - U.S. Forest Service plans to log more than a 1,000 scorched acres from Osceola NF, The Gainesville Sun
Boone NF: Logging plan protested, Lexington Herald-Leader
County Opposes City, Forest Service Land Swap, The Times Record - Fort Smith, Arkansas
Using science to restore habitat for declining species, News leads from the USDA FS Southern Research Station
EASTERN REGION (Region 9):
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Maine, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin