Rim Fire salvage logging plan unveiled
By Diana Marcum, Los Angeles Times
The U.S. Forest Service on Wednesday unveiled a salvage logging operation for more than 15,000 acres of trees burned in last summer’s Rim Fire.
The plan — which calls for removing an additional 17,706 acres of trees along non-public roads — means the Forest Service will be selling more board feet of timber as a result of the Rim fire than the combined total sold last year in all of California’s national forests.
Because the value of burned trees for logging deteriorates quickly, the plan was formed under emergency rules allowing salvage to begin immediately after approval, without going through an administrative appeal process.