Federal judge stops Sanpoil logging project in Colville National Forest in Washington, ruling US Forest Service didn't adequately review effects on wolves, wolverines, other wildlife; project would harvest 8,140 acres, do prescribed burns on 19,129 acres

June 30, 2023 (press release) –

A federal judge June 21 stopped a logging project in the Colville National Forest in northeast Washington , agreeing with a conservation group that the U.S. Forest Service didn't adequately review how it would impact wolves, wolverines and other wildlife.

U.S. District Judge Stanley Bastian ordered the Forest Service to meet with the Kettle Range Conservation Group to determine what happens now to the Sanpoil project, named for a Columbia River tributary.

"We are grateful that the court recognized that the Sanpoil project will have a significant impact on old-growth trees, sensitive wildlife species, and the recreational and scenic value of the Kettle Range," the group's executive director, Tim Coleman , said in a statement.

The project called for harvesting 8,140 acres and prescribed burns on 19,129 acres in the Republic Ranger District . The project would have opened 10,585 acres to grazing and yielded 50 million board feet.

The land is adjacent to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation . The tribe supported the project to reduce fire hazards.

The Forest Service determined the project would not have a significant impact on the environment and did not do an environmental impact statement.

Kettle Range alleged the Forest Service was violating the National Environmental Policy Act and other federal laws.

Bastian agreed. The project was controversial because of its size and effect on wildlife, according to the judge. The Forest Service should have determined that the environmental consequences would be significant or at least possible, Bastian ruled.

The Forest Service declined to comment on the ruling.

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