Conservation group sues U.S. Forest Service over Twisp Restoration Project

By March Stamper
Methow Valley News
December 21, 2022
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The North Cascades Conservation Council (NCCC) has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service over the Twisp Restoration Project (TRP), alleging that the Forest Service failed to give the public adequate opportunity to comment…. The lawsuit also contends that the agency didn’t consider multiple alternatives, and analyze all potential impacts of the TRP in violation of federal laws. It also contends that the TRP uses a management approach that “allows logging contractors to remove trees at will under vague guidelines.” Although the Forest Service held an initial comment period on the TRP in 2020, the agency significantly changed the project after much of the area burned in the 2021 Cedar Creek Fire. After the fire, the Forest Service reduced the TRP area by 69% to exclude areas affected by the fire. But they didn’t allow the public to weigh in on the potential impacts of the revised TRP, according to the lawsuit.

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