Forest Service proposes measures for S. Oregon forest

MEDFORD, Oregon (AP) – The U.S. Forest Service is proposing measures for southern Oregon to reduce the size and intensity of wildfires and create healthier forests better able to withstand the hotter, drier conditions brought by climate change.

The Mail Tribune reported Sunday the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest plan would include a mix of commercial logging and brush removal on 22,000 acres of Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands.

It will include nearly 5,000 acres of prescribed fire and reintroducing fire as maintenance on up to 13,000 acres of previously burned areas.

The plan is detailed in an environmental assessment expected to be released Wednesday.

The proposals include 18 miles of new hiking trails and four miles of new off-highway vehicle trails. Miles of unauthorized trails would be decommissioned.

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Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/