Unit 25-23 in the Trillium Mountain portion of the Dakubetede Roadless Area supports open groves of large, fire resistant Douglas fir. The unit is proposed for commerical logging in the Nedsbar Timber Sale, but it should be seen as a “reference condition,” providing a model for forest health and resilience. Treatments proposed in unit 25-23 would reduce canopy cover to 40%, impacting Northern spotted owl habitat and likely increasing fuel loads due to increased “shrub response” in the understory. The unit is now marked for logging and is in need of community monitoring and review. The unit should be canceled. Last winter the Siskiyou Crest Blog, Klamath Forest Alliance and the Applegate Neighborhood Network joined forces to oppose the Nedsbar Timber Sale, a large, landscape-scale logging project proposed in the Little and Upper Applegate Valleys of southwestern Oregon. The Nedsbar Timber Sale was developed by the Medford District BLM...

Now is the time to sow native plant seeds for habitat restoration, native pollinators or simply for your own enjoyment! Klamath-Siskiyou Native Seeds is a small, local business selling wildcrafted native seed for gardeners, nursery operations, habitat restoration practitioners, pollinator advocates and private landowners. Klamath-Siskiyou Native Seeds sells over 100 species of wildcrafted annual wildflowers, perennial wildflowers, woody shrubs and trees. Klamath-Siskiyou Native Seeds is owned and operated by Suzie Savoie and Luke Ruediger — who also operate the Siskiyou Crest Blog. Check out our website and consider supporting sustainable, ecological horticulture, habitat restoration and economic activity in the Siskiyou Mountains.  Check it out here: klamathsiskiyouseeds.com

Whitebark pine snag on the rim of Crater Lake. I wanted to share this Guest Opinion from the Medford Mail Tribune newspaper, written so succinctly by George Wuerthner. In it he responds to the following article regarding the Jackson County commissioners passing a resolution opposing the Crater Lake Wilderness.  The proposed Crater Lake Wilderness is a 90 mile chain of roadless wildlands extending from Diamond Peak to Mt. McLaughlin. The proposal would expand three existing wilderness areas and provide further protections to backcountry areas in Crater Lake National Park. The Crater Lake Wilderness proposal would protect 500,000 acres in Oregon’s Southern Cascade Mountains, creating a world-class recreational resource and conservation area. The proposal should be supported; it should also provide inspiration for similar efforts in the Siskiyou Mountains. Overlooking the Crater Lake Wilderness By George Wuerthner December 08. 2015...

The “Green Rush” Image: California Fish and Wildlife Service The Jackson County Planning Commission is taking public comment on proposed regulations for commercial cannabis cultivation in Jackson County, Oregon until December 10th, 2015. Similar regulations are being considered in surrounding counties as well, affecting commercial cannabis cultivation for both medical and recreational purposes. The topic is also currently one of the hottest environmental and political issues in northern California, with environmental groups like EPIC and Friends of the Eel River at the forefront, directly tackling the environmental concerns of cannabis cultivation head on. Like it or not, cannabis is here to stay, but it is how we manage and regulate this industry that will decide whether or not the industry will significantly impact the quality of life, habitat, and environment that surrounds us in southern Oregon and northern California. Due to the failed policy of...

The Buckskin Fire Report will explore wildfire, as well as fire suppression impacts, in one of the most unusual wilderness habitats on the west coast: serpentine woodland. Thanks to our many supporters, the Siskiyou Crest Blog and Klamath Forest Alliance have secured funding for the Buckskin Fire Report, an exploration of wildfire, as well as fire suppression impacts, in the South Kalmiopsis Roadless Area.  The South Kalmiopsis Roadless Area is the largest unprotected wildland in the state of Oregon. Many large streams and wild rivers originate in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness and surrounding roadless areas; these streams contain important salmon habitat, unusually high levels of water quality, and high concentrations of rare and/or endemic plants species.  The area was affected by the 2002 Biscuit Fire and is one of the region’s most dramatic fire landscapes. Recent wildfire activity has affected nearly the entire wildland, creating vast fire-adapted...