Conservation groups scored a victory in the courtroom in July after the U.S. Forest Service announced its decision to withdraw a logging permit that would have impacted at least 147,000 acres within the Ashley National Forest in Utah. The decision will protect the habitats of hundreds of species, ranging from songbirds to large predators, as detailed by World Animal News.
The move followed a lawsuit from conservation groups seeking to end the attempt.
The Aspen Project was approved in October 2023, and it would have used logging and controlled burns to remove aspens and conifer trees from designated roadless areas inside the forest, per the Center for Biological Diversity.
However, the suit argued that by not disclosing where the logging would take place within the designated forest areas, and by not placing limits on the size of the trees that would be taken down, the Forest Service had violated the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The rule prohibits the logging of trees within roadless areas, except under special circumstances, and requires that any and all trees removed be under a certain diameter.
"While it's a great relief the Aspen Project has been shelved for now, it never should have been approved in the first place," said Ted Zukoski, a senior lawyer for the Center for Biological Diversity. "Our biologically rich natural places need to be catalogued, not logged."
The move will help to preserve the famously beautiful scenery at the Ashley National Forest for visitors, backpackers, and hikers. Aspens serve as natural fuel breaks for wildfires, helping slow their spread and protecting both people and wildlife as the western U.S. continues to deal with massive wildfire issues.
It also protects habitats of rare species, such as lynx and wolverines, as well as threatened species like the Northern Goshawk. While the Goshawk is not currently endangered, it is seen as vulnerable in the western United States, according to the Colorado Nature Heritage Program.
"We appreciate that the Forest Service came to their senses and withdrew their plan to log and burn inventoried roadless areas on the Ashley," said Sara Johnson, Ph.D., director of Native Ecosystems Council.
"As someone who has spent many days backpacking in wild aspen forests on the Ashley National Forest, I am thrilled that these precious places will not be destroyed by the Forest Service," said Jason Christensen, director of Yellowstone to Uintas Connection.
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