This is a stand of cedars not identified as old growth by the forest service and therefore planned for logging activities.

The Clearwater National Forest, located in north Idaho, contains some of the greatest biological diversity in Idaho. Historically the Clearwater’s rivers supported healthy populations of spring and fall chinook salmon, steelhead, bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout. Existing wildlife resources include gray wolf, bald eagles, peregrine falcon, trumpeter swans, white-tailed deer, mountain goat, pileated woodpecker, lynx, fisher, wolverine, mountain lion and the largest herds of elk and moose in Idaho. When considered in connection with the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, the Clearwater contains over two million acres of wild lands and is one of the recovery areas being considered for grizzly bear reintroduction.

Many of the Clearwater’s historic old growth forests were lost to extreme fire events in 1910 and the 1930’s as well as intensive logging activities. The massive 4,000 mile road network and extensive clearcuts threaten to undermine the biological diversity of this critical landscape. Despite the widely recognized biological significance of these wildlands and the obvious adverse impacts from intensive logging activities, the Forest Service continues to promote an aggressive timber harvest program, including sales in roadless areas and of old growth. In 1993 the Clearwater National Forest made national news when 23 of the nation’s top scientists sent a letter to Al Gore condemning the forest for ignoring its own studies documenting environmental damage from timber harvests and road building in the interest of continued industrial logging.

This is an aerial photograph from 1996 of a stand the forest service identified as old growth in order to satisfy their forest plan requirements for old growth retention.

Conservation Geography has been working with a broad coalition of conservation groups trying to improve management of the forest and protect the remaining old growth cedar stands which are some of the last remnants of inland temperate rain forest found in the Rockies. Our work has involved extensive detailed analyses of forest service data and aerial photography to support legal challenges against the Clearwater National Forest based on their failure to meet forest plan mandates for old growth protection. We have stopped one old growth sale and continue to monitor and challenge the forest’s activities whenever we suspect they are misrepresenting the facts in their proposed projects. The forest is now beginning a multi-year process to update their forest plan. It is critical that environmentalists are effectively engaged throughout the process in order to insure that future forest management guidance gives these wildlands the protection they deserve.