Washington state essentially prohibits logging on unstable slopes -- since removing trees can worsen erosion and landslides. But it's not always obvious which slopes are unstable.
State officials Wednesday adopted a more cautious approach around slopes like the one that collapsed onto the town of Oso in March. That deep-seated landslide killed 43 people.
New guidelines adopted by the state's Forest Practices Board call for more thorough geological studies before logging near deep-seated landslide zones. Those studies of how soil and water interact underground factor in to whether the Department of Natural Resources will okay logging there.
Timberland owners at Wednesday's hearing said they feared an overreaction to the Oso landslide.
"We feel that rushing to adopt an incomplete work product to meet an artificial timeline does not make good public policy," said John Gold, a forester with Sierra Pacific Industries.
State forester Aaron Everett said he was not willing to delay action on landslide safety.
Environmentalist Mary Scurlock said the guidance was needed immediately.
"We can't control the timing or severity of the upcoming storm season, and climate change science indicates that Washington will receive more rain than snow in the Cascade Mountains. But we can improve implementation of our current rules and the policies that seek to avoid increasing the dangers posed by unstable slopes," said Scurlock, who works for a coalition of nine Washington environmental groups.
The board unanimously approved the new guidelines as an interim measure. They plan to make further revisions in the coming year.
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