HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution No. 4928
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COUNCIL RESOLUTION NO. 4928
A RESOLUTION OPPOSING THE BUREAU OF
LAND MANAGEMENT'S PROPOSED WESTERN
OREGON PLAN REVISION BY THE CITY
COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EUGENE.
PASSED: 5:2
REJECTED:
OPPOSED: Poling, Solomon
ABSENT: Clark
RECUSED:
CONSIDERED: February 11, 2008
RESOLUTION NO. 4928
A RESOLUTION OPPOSING THE BUREAU OF LAND
MANAGEMENT'S PROPOSED WESTERN OREGON PLAN REVISION
BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EUGENE.
The City Council of the City of Eugene finds that:
A. The 2.5 million acres of federal forests administered mainly by the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) in western Oregon are currently managed under the 1994 Northwest
Forest Plan. These forests provide recreational opportunities, generate employment in the wood
products industry, safeguard drinking water sources for Eugene and other communities, offer
habitat for a mYriad of species, provide carbon storage for a livable climate, and allow for a
quality of life that attracts new businesses and skilled workers.
B. The City Council believes that the federal forests in western Oregon should be
managed for the greatest good for the greatest number of people over the longest time.
C. For decades before the Northwest Forest Plan, the BLM had clear-cut older
forests and built extensive logging road systems in these public lands of western Oregon,
degrading recreational opportunities, water quality and fish and wildlife habitat.
D. For more than a decade, county revenue has been decoupled from timber sale
receipts and instead Congress has appropriated payments.
E. It is in the public interest to protect remaining older forests and restore degraded
lands to enhance water quality, restore habitat, store carbon, and generate new economic
opportunities.
F. Two-and-one-half million acres of BLM forestlands are currently the subject of a
proposed management revision based on an out-of-court settlement agreement between the
timber industry and the Bush administration called the Western Oregon Plan Revision (WOPR).
G. The WOPR's preferred alternative (Alternative 2) would divorce BLM from the
conservation strategy of the Northwest Forest Plan, reduce protection for wildlife and streamside
reserves, increase old-growth clear-cutting by 700oA>, and build 1,000 miles of new logging road
over the plan's first 10 years.
H. This proposal is not in the interest of Eugene residents, and in order to preserve
and enhance their quality of life, the City Council desires to take steps necessary to protect
remaining older forests on public lands in western Oregon.
NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EUGENE, a
Municipal Corporation of the State of Oregon, as follows:
Resolution - Page 1 of 2
4928.DOC
Section 1. The City Council requests that the BLM reject the action alternatives
proposed in the WOPR and work within the Northwest Forest Plan to protect mature and old-
growth forests on federal lands in western Oregon. As used in this resolution "old growth
forests" are defined as forest stands at least 180 years old. "Mature forests are those stands
between 80-180 years of age (as per the Northwest Forest Plan).
Section 2.
The Council urges Congress to pass legislation that:
a. Provides stable county payments based on ecosystem services such
as clean water and air, recreational opportunities, carbon storage,
and habitat conservation;
b. Protects mature and old-growth forests on federal lands in Oregon,
including BLM lands; and
c. Advances restoration-driven forestry projects on degraded
landscapes in Oregon.
Section 3.
This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption.
The foregoing Resolution adopted the 11th day of February, 2008.
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City Reco er
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Resolution - Page 2 of 2
4928.DOC