Business | Environment | Law

Coquille Tribe to move ahead with long-delayed timber harvest

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

The Coquille Tribe recently completed the acquisition of 3,200 acres of ancestral territory in Oregon. The land will be managed as the Sek-wet-se Forest. Photo from Ecotrust

The Coquille Tribe will move forward with a long-delayed timber harvest that's expected to create jobs and generate revenue in Oregon.

In 2011 and 2013, the Bureau of Indian Affairs approved plans for harvests in the tribe's Coquille Forest. Environmental groups held up the project due to concerns about the northern spotted owl and the way the project was reviewed.

In a unanimous decision, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the tribe and the BIA. A three-judge panel said the harvest would not negatively impact the owl, an endangered species, and that the environmental assessment was adequate.

“The Coquille people have lived in harmony with the forest ecosystem for thousands of years, and we are pleased that the court has validated our environmentally sensitive timber management practices,” Chairperson Brenda Meade said in response to the decision, The Coos Bay World.

The harvest is expected to create 800 jobs and generate more than $8 million for the tribe. The project could start as soon as October 1, the World reported.

The Coquille Forest is held in trust for the tribe. It consists of about 5,410 acres in Coos County.

Turtle Talk has posted documents from the case, Cascadia Wildlands v. Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Get the Story:
Federal court upholds Coquille Tribe timber sale (The Coos Bay World 9/15)
Middle Fork Coquille Project to proceed following federal court ruling (KCBY 9/15)

9th Circuit Decision:
Cascadia Wildlands v. Bureau of Indian Affairs (September 11, 2015)