Medford, Ore. — The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public input on a plan to increase forest resiliency near Jacksonville, Gold Hill, and Rogue River. The Rogue Gold Project proposes up to 1700 acres of selection harvest and commercial thinning designed to reduce stand density and increase the structural complexity.

This area is one of the most at-risk locations for wildfire in Oregon. In the dry mixed conifer forests of Southwest Oregon, overly dense forests resulting from fire exclusion, in conjunction with extended drought and climate change are contributing to widespread conifer mortality across low elevations on the Medford District.

The Rogue Gold Forest Management project will be paired with a separate hazardous fuels reduction project, called the River Hill Hazardous Fuels Project.

“Multiple-use management in the dry forest is complex, and we are seeking public input to help us refine this project” said Lauren Brown, BLM Ashland Field Manager. "The proposed action is designed to balance forest resilience needs while meeting our obligations to provide sustainable timber opportunities as required by the O&C Act.”

The BLM’s Rogue Gold Environmental Assessment was released on June 23. The document provides a description of the proposed action, the scope of the project area, background information, and how the effects of implementing the project fall within the 2016 Resource Management Plan for Southwest Oregon.

A virtual public meeting will be held on July 7 from 4:30-6:30 PM. Please register at: https://blm.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_H5wd-1N_RAmRbK-NjHxLJg

All written comments can be submitted at the ePlanning website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2015764/510. They must be received by July 24, 2023. A decision on the project will not be made until after public comments have been considered.

Original source can be found here