Oregon's Northwest Forests at Risk

Logging, Urbanization and Pollution Threaten Rainforest Biodiversity

Jan 25, 2009

Over 200 species of plants and animals in the Tillamook Rainforest and North Coast regions face loss of habitat and the impacts of industry and agriculture.

In a report published by the Center for Biological Diversity, Noah Greenwald and Amanda Garty, the report's authors, state that they have identified 215 species of concern in the Tillamook Rainforest and North Coast regions of northwest Oregon. Of these, 71 are critically imperiled, 77 are imperiled, and 58 are vulnerable.

Those at greatest risk - the critically imperiled - include everything from the marbled Murrelet and dusky tree vole to the chum and coho salmon to the Oregon silverspot butterfly. Greenwald and Garty point to three primary causes for this risk: logging, urbanization, and pollution.

Logging

According to Greenwald and Garty, only 1 percent of the historical levels of old-growth forests remain in northwest Oregon. Logging and fires account for most of this destruction, with logging contributing significantly to habitat degradation. What complicates matters is that the logging practices most harmful occur on private lands, which are not as strictly regulated as public lands. For example, in 2001 alone, 88,912 acres of forests were clear cut on private lands in western Oregon.

Many species supported by the forests have experienced severe declines and are not likely to recover. Based on their research, Greenwald and Garty believe that the "indirect and direct impacts of logging, including destruction of mature and old-growth forests, road construction, erosion and other factors, are threats to at least 60 (47 percent) of the species of concern."

Urban Sprawl

Populations in the Northwest continue to grow, and urban sprawl is taking its toll. Clatsop County, which sits on Oregon's northwest corner, grew by 7 percent between 1990 and 2000 and another 2 percent between 2000 and 2004. Tillamook County to the south experienced even greater dramatic growth - 12.5 percent between 1990 and 2000 and 2.7 percent between 2000 and 2004.

Much of this growth is tied to the population increases in urban centers such as Portland, where development reaches up the Willamette Valley and into the surrounding areas. In fact, the Valley is projected to grow by 1.3 million people in the next 40 years. The sprawling urban centers will likely lead to additional pressures on forests lands for increased timber and recreational development.

Industrial and Agricultural Pollution

Northwest Oregon also has its share of industry and agriculture, and as a result, there are a number of sources of pollution in the region. Logging, for example, does more than take down trees. As a result of severe clear-cutting practices, freshwater ecosystems have had to cope with increased sediments throughout the area, "affecting fish and other aquatic species by suffocating eggs and aquatic insect larvae, obstructing fish gills, and reducing overall water clarity."

But the logging industry is not alone. Together with the agricultural industry, they generate industrial waste and spray pesticides and other chemicals throughout the region. Wood and pulp production alone accounts for high levels of ammonia, chlorine, and chlorine dioxide in the region. And dairy farms regularly release large quantities of pesticides and fertilizers into the environment.

Moving Forward

In their report, Greenwald and Garty make several recommendations for dealing with the threat to the imperiled plants and animals. First, they believe that the species at risk should be listed under the Endangered Species Act "to avoid further declines and extinction." Next, habitat destruction must be limited by better regulating logging and urban growth.

Greenwald and Garty also point to the importance of reducing pollution through such measures as monitoring toxins released into the waters, ratifying the Stockholm Convention, and reducing pollution from pulp and paper mills. According to the authors, over "300 animal and plant species depend on the Tillamook Rainforest, and half the remaining healthy salmon runs in Oregon are found in its rivers and streams."

Unfortunately, nine species are already believed to be extinct, and many more could follow. The time to act is now, before any more are lost.

The copyright of the article Oregon's Northwest Forests at Risk in Ecosystem Preservation is owned by R.H. Sheldon. Permission to republish Oregon's Northwest Forests at Risk in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.