Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 26, 1995 TAG: 9505260062
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CATHRYN McCUE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Logging in six different areas of Wise County, covering a total of 460 acres of federal land, was suspended last week after the U.S. Forest Service discovered the mistake.
"We sold more trees than intended," Bill Damon, supervisor for the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, said in a press release. "This is an internal situation that we are responsible for and will address. The logging operations did not cause the suspension."
Damon, who took over as forest supervisor May 15, was out of town Thursday and could not be reached for further comment. His predecessor, Joy Berg, transfered to the agency's Washington headquarters.
Forest staff have been re-evaluating the timber sales since pulling loggers out of the forest May 17. Logging will resume in one sale area, while another area will be closed. Damon continued the suspension on the remaining four areas until June 9.
"This is a serious problem that affects our credibility, and we will closely review all future timber sales for full compliance [with the federal law], both in the office and in the woods," Damon said. He went on to apologize to the loggers whose jobs are affected.
The forest set aside that land for timber in 1992, planning to do a thorough evaluation for threatened or endangered species when the contracts were sold. But the forest failed to do that site-specific field work, forest spokesman Dave Olson said.
It was the first time that logging had been suspended in the Jefferson National Forest, which recently merged with the George Washington. Olson said there have been other cases in the Southeast Region when contracts have been suspended because the agency had failed to conduct a biological survey according to the National Environmental Policy Act.
Damon said he will be working with the timber companies to determine how to resolve the contracts to meet their needs and the agency's mandates.
by CNB