The Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is preparing an Environmental Assessment of Strategic Operations for Safety – Salvage and Removal of Dead and Dying Conifers (SOS EA). BLM is soliciting input on the potential issues, impacts, and the alternatives they should address in their environmental assessment.

As part of a public scoping process, BLM wants input to assist in developing proposed actions and draw attention to issues or information that may indicate a potential for significant effects. People place a wide range of values on various resource uses of public lands they want to assess. The BLM is mandated by federal law to manage the lands it administers in the planning area according to the current Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the area and the O&C Act of 1937.

This environmental assessment will not amend or modify any current RMPs. Opinions agreeing or disagreeing with current laws, policies, or decisions already established in land use plans do not help in refining actions or analysis for this environmental assessment. In addition to the input requested, the BLM is interested in responses to the following questions:

• What prominent roads used in your community are showing signs of tree die off?
• Are there notable areas of tree die off you would like to share with the BLM?

Depending on public response and interest, the BLM may hold public meetings, field trips, and/or provide additional public comment opportunities prior to releasing a decision on the proposed actions.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Kyle Sullivan, the BLM public affairs specialist, told Channel 12 Newswatch, “We want to make sure that we're doing treatments and locations where they're going to have the biggest impact on public and firefighter safety. So, we want to know what roads are you seeing a lot of dying trees on.”

For more information concerning the Strategic Operations for Safety – Salvage and Removal of Dead and Dying Conifers Project, you may contact personnel on their website, or submit written comments to email: BLM_OR_MD_Safety_EA @blm.gov. Input will be accepted through Sunday, January 7, 2024.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2023-12-05 09:39:15

Last Update: 2023-12-05 01:55:02