Timber industry and environmental groups will make a stab at collaboration to boost both logging and habitat restoration in the Olympic National Forest.
Olympic National Forest was ground zero for some of the hottest conflicts of the timber wars of the 1990's. Periodically, local environmental groups still file lawsuits and current timber harvest rates are a fraction of historic levels.
Now, the office of Congressman Derek Kilmer has convinced sometimes antagonistic groups to focus on areas where they can agree.
"There is a certain amount of activity we can do on public lands that up to a certain point maximize harvest without negatively impacting the environment," says Kilmer. "Right now, there is a gap between what we are doing now and what is best for the forest and best for communities."
Kilmer's office released a long list of participating associations, timber companies and environmental groups. The effort is modeled on successful collaborations elsewhere in the Northwest.
Other national forests to host collaboratives - including the Colville and Siuslaw National Forests - have found success by focusing on "carefully designed" forest thinning projects. However, green activists said this announcement will not stop their controversial push for more wilderness set asides known as the Wild Olympics Campaign.
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