Lone Rock Timber Receives Threat

From the News-Review, Roseburg, OR:

Lone Rock Timber Management Company has asked the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office for additional patrols in response to a threat made against the company by conservationists, according to the sheriff’s call logs.

The call, made just before 6 p.m. Thursday, said a group of conservationists are upset that Lone Rock is logging in the Susan Creek area, land managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and are threatening to burn Lone Rock “to the ground.”

Lone Rock requests extra police presence in wake of threats

Doesn’t mention the name of the group.

[ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BELOW, POSTED BY MK]

Posted on Facebook on May 7, 2018 by Francis Eatherington:

“Yesterday we hiked into the BLM forest that Lone Rock Timber had threatened to cut down for a new road, and we found it just cut down. Very sad. All the big trees were horizontal on the ground. We counted the rings on some stumps and found them to be 400 years old. On the hike in we went past LRT’s 19-acre plantation they had just cut and yarded, and we could see about an acre of tiny trees they had left to cut at the top of their unit. Even though it was clearcut 40-years ago, this time LRT insisted they had to cut this 70’-wide road through BLM land to get a mechanical harvester into that little acre they had left. They couldn’t cut it manually like they did before. This is an obvious scam by Lone Rock – they will get far more timber from our public old growth forest then they will access from their land. Not only are the old-growth trees gone, a new road bulldozed across this ancient forest will be a horrible scar, spreading it’s edge-effect far into the remaining old growth forest.”

Posted on Facebook on May 7, 2018 by Doug Heiken:

“The reason that Lone Rock Timber gave for needing access through this stand of ancient trees, was they needed to get a mechanical harvester (tree killing robot) into the area so they could log a stand of small trees on their own land. However, before the road even got built Lone Rock was able to log all but about 1 acre of their land. Which means these ancient trees fell just so they could bring their robot in to fell an acre of second growth. This is SO wrong! I smell a scam. The timber industry is to blame and BLM is complicit.”

[ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BELOW, POSTED BY SF]

Here seens a fair-minded piece that looks at (and talks to) both sides (and explains the O&C rights of way). But be careful, as there are a couple of interesting stories and you only get five free ones.

In this case they claim that BLM has embarked on a ‘back-room deal with Lone Rock Timber to log ancient forests,’ when the truth of the matter is that Lone Rock Timber has the legal right under our reciprocal right-of-way agreement with the BLM to construct the road to gain access to our property,” Luther said, adding some of the trees in the posted photos are outside of the proposed logging area.

If I lived in the area, I would be tempted to go see for myself (and share the photos here).

8 thoughts on “Lone Rock Timber Receives Threat”

  1. Hopefully this is an idle threat, but this brings back memories of the late 1990s in Oregon when the Willamette Industries (timber company) office in Dallas, OR was burned to the ground and so was the Middle Fork Ranger Station on the Willamette NF. There were also attempts at the Detroit Ranger Station, the PNW Research Station in Corvallis, OR and perhaps elsewhere – scary stuff. I think the scariest was a deposition from a government informant who infiltrated the group that was thought to be carrying out these attacks – and they described the group’s methods as they prepared (but didn’t carry out) an attack on another Forest Service facility.

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  2. Steve Wilent: “Doesn’t mention the name of the group.”
    ===

    Another earlier article from that same publication on April 29th 2018 references a couple of upset groups, the conservation group Cascadia Wildlands and a link to an angry Facebook page group for championing old growth forests with about 200 members

    https://www.nrtoday.com/news/environment/conservation-groups-outraged-by-right-of-way-road-proposal/article_cc7d001a-f288-5b97-830f-550baf6273d8.html

    https://www.facebook.com/SaveYourPublicLands/

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  3. First off, if a threat was made how do they know in fact it was made by a “conservationists?” Couldn’t the alleged threat have been made by someone posing as a “conservationists?”

    Also, I like how Steve has sort of made this alleged threat about “The name of a [conservation] group.”

    There is ZERO indication at all that the alleged treat was made by a “conservation group.”

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  4. Why are people so upset over these few trees when thousands of trees just like these were killed last summer while the FS was “managing wildfires” on the Umpqua.

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    • I guess it might be that the hands of humans in fires is harder to discern. It may not be so much “dead trees” but “the hand of humans.” Also it’s harder to tell about fire suppression decisions and impacts, and there is no NEPA or formal public involvement, so people may not know the details in time to try to stop or change it.

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  5. I spoke with Lone Rock Timber yesterday May 21st. I actually left a KIND message requesting more info. and expressed my concerns about cutting old growth trees. Brennan called me back. He was very kind, answered my questions and he took the time to tell his side. He seemed very genuine. They are running a business and although I do not agree with all logging practices, they are not evil they are just trying to run a business! This tree hugger is trying to STOP reacting to every media story bc they do not give the whole story. It is up to WE THE PEOPLE to start educating each other, checking the resources of information AND START DOING OUR OWN INVESTIGATING! It took me all of 2 minutes to leave a message and a 15 min phone call when He called back. He was gracious enough to have a discussion! Be the example of balance, kindness and compassion. Let’s turn outrage into a productive discussion, and whoever threatened them should be charged and kicked out of whatever group they belong to. WE DO NOT NEED ANYMORE HATE OR VIOLENCE IN THIS WORLD. Just trying to help my fellow Oregonians see that we have got to stop polarizing ourselves. It just plain doesn’t work. Peace.

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    • Holly, I salute you for taking the time to call Lone Rock — and Lone Rock for talking with you. I agree: Don’t believe everything you hear in the news or social media — check the facts. I tell my forestry/wildlife students to fact-check everything I and other instructors tell them, too.

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      • Thank you!! I’m trying. I salute you for educating our youth bc that is where this starts and hopefully the adult learners, too! I was taught this in my Junior year of high school by our history teacher. Always check your facts! I’m just glad I have evolved in a manner that is allowing me to see the other side without disdain. Trust me I haven’t always been this way. Baby steps! #Power2ThePeople

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