We are still a long way away from recovering from last year's wildfires in Western Oregon. But if the damage and dislocation those fires wreaked was not traumatic enough, now the Oregon Department of Transportation is carrying out systematic clearcutting along the scenic waterways that were at the epicenter of the fires. This rampant destruction of important old growth trees has sparked controversy and protests across the state, culminating in legislative hearings a couple weeks ago.
On this episode of Locus Focus we talk with Rebecca White, wildlands director with Cascadia Wildlands, one of many environmental organizations that have joined in a lawsuit against the state to stop the logging.
Rebecca White is a native Texan who followed the call of the ancient forests to redwood country where she earned her ecology degree at Humboldt State University. After a stint with the Klamath National Forest, she completed law school and two years of judicial clerkships before moving to Eugene to pursue conservation law. Prior to joining our staff, Rebecca managed the Pacific Wolf Coalition (of which Cascadia Wildlands is a core member) and was active on our WildCATvolunteer team. She works on forest and biodiversity defense with a focus on Western Oregon public lands.
For more info about the ODOT logging click here: https://scenicbyways.greenoregon.org
For more information on some of the federal post-fire logging click here: www.cascwild.org
- KBOO