Watch this video to see the tragic results of the BLM’s Boaz Timber Sale.
The Medford District BLM approved and sold the Boaz Salvage Timber Sale in the Applegate Valley in southwest Oregon in 2024. The Mineral Creek Logging company logged the timber sale throughout 2024 and 2025 with devastating effects to the forests, water quality, wildlife habitat, and fire resistance of the area. Beautiful, green, living forests in the Upper Applegate and Little Applegate watersheds were logged, and many of them were clearcut.
High priority habitat for the endemic Siskiyou Mountains salamander was logged, where salamanders have been documented to live. Logged trees were dragged along the ground in long yarding corridors that created scars across the landscape that greatly damaged Siskiyou Mountains salamander habitat, hydrology and native plant habitat.
Seasonal streams were filled in with sediment and used as logging corridors. A massive landslide was triggered by wet weather clearcut logging, filling in the stream channel with mud and debris.
Huge amounts of logging slash have been left throughout the area, greatly increasing fuel loads in the area and putting the homes below at increased risk of wildfire.
The massive amounts of ground disturbance have already increased the amount of invasive and noxious weeds in the area, degrading pollinator habitat by displacing native plants with non-native plants.
Habitat for northern spotted owls and Pacific fisher in the area has been negatively impacted. Logging scars are now visible from many areas of the Upper Applegate and Little Applegate, marring the beauty of the valley that relies on recreation and tourism for economic vitality.
The rural, Applegate-based conservation organization, Applegate Siskiyou Alliance (ASA), was one of the only environmental organizations to fight this egregious timber sale, but were unsuccessful in the battle to save these important Applegate forests. At the same time, the fight continues as the BLM has sold more timber sales under its current SOS Project, and ASA hopes to succeed in stopping some of these new timber sales. We need your support to SAVE APPLEGATE FORESTS.
Donate to Applegate Siskiyou Alliance today by clicking on the button below.