This brief 08/20/2026 letter to the Curry Coastal Pilot left me wanting to hear more from Mr. McCall. I agree with him. FWIW, on my private property in the northern Cascades, the Doug-fir that sprouted after a ~1903 fire are now up to 30 inches DBH and 170 feet tall — still spike tops. The stand is thinning itself via laminated root rot…. I’ve made some fine lumber out of the ones I’ve felled….
Proposed change coming to the Northwest Forest plan
- Op-Ed by Ken McCall US Forest Service, Retired
The United States Forest Service is proposing to amend the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) to allow cutting older trees across the western portion of Washington, Oregon, and Northern California. As a hunter, fisherman, recreationist and fifth generation native of the west coast, I have spent a lifetime in these forests as a private citizen and a 40 plus year career as a U.S. Forest Service employee specializing in forestry and forest engineering.
The primary proposed change in the 19.4 million acres of forestlands is to allow cutting trees up to 120 years old compared to the current cutting age limit of 80 years. Conservatively speaking, 90 or more percent of the old growth forests in the NWFP area were clearcut in the logging and road building boom from 1950 to the mid 1990’s. The result leaves those same acres of forest as predominantly single species conifer tree plantations lacking in diversity that is beneficial for wildlife.
Steve, I don’t get it is the 80 years for Matrix lands? or ????? LSRs? Adaptive management areas? All of the above? Please enlighten the non-NWFP-ers out here.
In LSRs — under current rules, no harvesting of trees 80 years old or older. I suggest that cutting trees up to 120 years old is needed in some cases to meet basal area objectives.
Maybe you can explain “basal area objectives?” What are they, what are they for in LSRs, and where does it say this? And how would they help with “single species conifer tree plantations lacking in diversity” (and are they needed if stands are likely to “thin themselves”)?