Salvage logging
Encyclopedia
Salvage logging is the practice of logging
trees in forest areas that have been damaged by wildfire, flood
, severe wind, disease, insect infestation, or other natural disturbance.
The primary motivation of salvage logging is economic. It has also been suggested that forests containing burnt trees are unhealthy, and are considered to have a probability of experiencing high risk of catastrophic wildfire
s and large scale insect and disease outbreaks. However, there is little evidence to support such claims. The legitimacy of salvage logging operations in forests have often been put under question, especially for trees burnt in a long-standing fire regime.
As with other logging operations, the harvesting may be either by selection
, thinning
or clearcutting
, and a regeneration plan may be put in place after the logging.
in Oregon
and California
in 2002. Since the fire bush, the United States Forest Service
has been successfully attempting to salvage the burned timber. The process was expedited when President George W. Bush
signed a bill that allowed salvage logging to occur more quickly and with lessened threat of law suits. An earlier piece of salvage-supporting legislation, commonly referred to as the Salvage Rider was signed by President Bill Clinton
as part of the Omnibus Rescissions Bill on July 27, 1995.
The forests in British Columbia
damaged by the Mountain Pine Beetle
infestation.
, salvage logging is a controversial issue for two main reasons. First, legal provisions for salvage logging can be used to justify cutting down damaged trees in areas that are otherwise protected from logging
. Salvage logging may be exempt from most environmental laws including the Endangered Species Act
, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the National Forest Management Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The second cause for controversy is that, while proponents of salvage logging argue that it reduces the harmful effects of future fires in the logged area, opponents maintain that the costs and benefits of salvage logging have not been scientifically studied, and that there is evidence the practice actually increases damage from future fires.
Supporters claim that by removing dead timber, the risk of fire is minimized. However, opponents point out that by removing larger, less-flammable trees and leaving behind small, dead limbs and branches actually increases the risk of forest fire in those areas, and also harms the ability of a forest to regenerate.
Poor salvage logging practices may do more damage than the initial fire, or the combined effect of the initial natural disturbance (such as wildfire) closely followed by salvage logging can have greater negative ecological impacts than the sum of the two disturbances individually.
Other areas of debate in this topic involve salvage logging's impacts on soil, water, and wildlife. Also, the cost of salvage logging often exceeds the profits from sold timber . This is due to the timber's decreased value due to damage and the high cost of accessing the remote forests in which the logging often occurs.
Also green salvage is commonly reported — the felling of trees which are still alive in salvage logging operation. Trees which have been burnt may appear to be killed, but are still alive and able to regenerate, but are still cut down in illegitimate salvage logging.
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
trees in forest areas that have been damaged by wildfire, flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
, severe wind, disease, insect infestation, or other natural disturbance.
The primary motivation of salvage logging is economic. It has also been suggested that forests containing burnt trees are unhealthy, and are considered to have a probability of experiencing high risk of catastrophic wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
s and large scale insect and disease outbreaks. However, there is little evidence to support such claims. The legitimacy of salvage logging operations in forests have often been put under question, especially for trees burnt in a long-standing fire regime.
As with other logging operations, the harvesting may be either by selection
Selection cutting
Selection cutting is the silvicultural practice of harvesting a proportion of the trees in a stand. Selection cutting is the practice of removing mature timber or the lessening of older trees to improve the timber stand. This system may be used to manage even or uneven-aged stands...
, thinning
Ecological thinning
Ecological Thinning is a silvicultural technique used in forest management that involves cutting trees to improve functions of a forest other than timber production....
or clearcutting
Clearcutting
Clearcutting, or clearfelling, is a controversial forestry/logging practice in which most or all trees in an area are uniformly cut down. Clearcutting, along with shelterwood and seed tree harvests, is used by foresters to create certain types of forest ecosystems and to promote select species that...
, and a regeneration plan may be put in place after the logging.
Examples
One famous instance in which salvage logging occurred was in the Biscuit FireBiscuit Fire
The Biscuit Fire was a wildfire that took place in 2002 that burned nearly 500,000 acres in the Siskiyou National Forest in southern Oregon and northern California, in the Western United States...
in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 2002. Since the fire bush, the United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
has been successfully attempting to salvage the burned timber. The process was expedited when President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
signed a bill that allowed salvage logging to occur more quickly and with lessened threat of law suits. An earlier piece of salvage-supporting legislation, commonly referred to as the Salvage Rider was signed by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
as part of the Omnibus Rescissions Bill on July 27, 1995.
The forests in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
damaged by the Mountain Pine Beetle
Mountain pine beetle
The mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae, is a species of bark beetle native to the forests of western North America from Mexico to central British Columbia. It has a hard black exoskeleton, and measures about 5 millimeters, about the size of a grain of rice.Mountain pine beetles inhabit...
infestation.
Controversy
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, salvage logging is a controversial issue for two main reasons. First, legal provisions for salvage logging can be used to justify cutting down damaged trees in areas that are otherwise protected from logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
. Salvage logging may be exempt from most environmental laws including the Endangered Species Act
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and...
, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the National Forest Management Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The second cause for controversy is that, while proponents of salvage logging argue that it reduces the harmful effects of future fires in the logged area, opponents maintain that the costs and benefits of salvage logging have not been scientifically studied, and that there is evidence the practice actually increases damage from future fires.
Supporters claim that by removing dead timber, the risk of fire is minimized. However, opponents point out that by removing larger, less-flammable trees and leaving behind small, dead limbs and branches actually increases the risk of forest fire in those areas, and also harms the ability of a forest to regenerate.
Poor salvage logging practices may do more damage than the initial fire, or the combined effect of the initial natural disturbance (such as wildfire) closely followed by salvage logging can have greater negative ecological impacts than the sum of the two disturbances individually.
Other areas of debate in this topic involve salvage logging's impacts on soil, water, and wildlife. Also, the cost of salvage logging often exceeds the profits from sold timber . This is due to the timber's decreased value due to damage and the high cost of accessing the remote forests in which the logging often occurs.
Also green salvage is commonly reported — the felling of trees which are still alive in salvage logging operation. Trees which have been burnt may appear to be killed, but are still alive and able to regenerate, but are still cut down in illegitimate salvage logging.