No moratorium on logging in JDSF

January 20, 2022 — Timber sales in Jackson Demonstration State Forest are ongoing, despite a decision not to add any new ones this year. The five timber harvest plans that started last year are still in operation, according to Kevin Conway, the State Forests Program Manager. These include Parlin 17, the Chamberlain Confluence, Red Tail, Soda Gulch, and the Caspar 500, where operations were shut down in the summer and remain dormant. Conway said there is no set date yet for picking up again in Caspar 500, saying that resumption of operations in the spring depend on the agency completing mandatory Northern Spotted Owl surveys. He added that the decision to not offer additional timber sales this year is to prevent further closures of the forest. CalFire usually operates between 3-6 timber sales per year, and Conway noted that, “Many of the operations above were not completed in 2021 as scheduled and have been extended into 2022.” At the January 18 Board of Forestry meeting, Matthew Reischman, CalFire’s Deputy Director of natural resources, acknowledged that the agency had taken what he called “a tactical pause.” However, he emphasized that CalFire is not contemplating a moratorium on logging, as the coalition of activists and tribal leaders have been demanding. The Board of Forestry agreed late last year to review the management plan for Jackson, which Vince Taylor, a member of the public who keeps a close eye on Board of Forestry proceedings, says is a replica of the plan from the year 2012.