BLM issues decision on Western Oregon project to improve fire resilience
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Grants Pass, Ore. — The Bureau of Land Management has issued a decision to promote safe wildfire response, develop fire resilient lands, and create habitat for special status species. The Late Mungers Integrated Vegetation Management Project includes prescribed fire, thinning and selection harvest actions. The project is located near the communities of Murphy and Williams.
“Forests in Southwest Oregon are in dire need of active management to maintain and improve forest health,” said Elizabeth Burghard, BLM Medford District Manager. “The Late Mungers project is an important step toward promoting and developing complex forest habitats for the northern spotted owl and other sensitive species. This project will make the landscape, including legacy trees more resilient to wildfire by addressing hazardous wildfire fuels near local communities.”
This project aligns with the objectives identified in Executive Order 14072: Strengthening of the Nation’s Forests, Communities, and Local Economies, by deploying climate-smart forestry practices to improve the resilience of our lands, waters, wildlife, and communities in the face of increasing disturbances and chronic stress arising from climate impacts. Specifically, the BLM has planned actions to protect and grow large, old trees, including retaining fire tolerant legacy trees.
Over the next decade, the BLM anticipates fuels reduction work on about 7,500 acres. The work will start at strategic locations where fire managers have the best chance to catch and contain wildfires. The project also includes 830 acres of proposed harvests divided into two timber sales: Late Mungers and Penn Butte. By using selection harvest methods, these treatments will increase the diversity of the forest stands. This more complex habitat is important for the northern spotted owl, the marbled murrelet and Pacific marten (federally listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act), as well as other special status species.
The Late Mungers Project implements the BLM Medford District’s Integrated Vegetation Management for Resilient Lands Programmatic Environmental Assessment (IVM-RL EA). This landscape level environmental assessment lays out the BLM’s vision for creating and maintaining healthy forests in response to past management practices, like intensive logging, and fire suppression. By completing the planning for these forest health initiatives at the landscape level, the BLM and partners are better able secure funding and streamline the implementation of the project.
During the public comment period, people provided more than 100 comments. In addition to reviewing those comments, the BLM project team also hosted a field trip to the project area and held a public webinar to obtain input about the project. The final document, including BLM’s response to comments, are available on ePlanning at: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2018484/510
A 30-day appeal period on the project started when the project was posted to ePlanning on February 10, 2023.
To learn more about how the BLM is implementing forest resilience projects, please visit https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/plans-in-development/oregon-washington/ivm.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.