In the winter of 2009/10, several groves of old-growth Douglas Fir on Rosebud were logged under a small-scale salvage license. While the pretext was Douglas Fir beetle infestations, which have always existed on Rosebud, the logging targeted the most lucrative, significant Douglas Fir stands. Unlike the selective, low-impact salvage operations conducted in the 1990’s, these latest operations were actually clearcuts, taking the sick with the healthy and leaving many aspen and birch to waste. The operation was also conducted with very little care to the other users of the mountain or regulations; hillsides were scarred and left eroding, grassland for cattle was destroyed, and waterways were blocked leading to large areas of erosion and backup. None of these impacts have ever been remediated, despite being reported. Meanwhile, further “salvage” operations have been encroaching on Rosebud from the north.
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Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
Future plans show that much of Rosebud could soon be logged.
If you have google earth installed, you can take a look at the latest logging activity: