Judge halts logging on wildfire-scarred forest in Oregon

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge has halted U.S. Forest Service plans to log part of the Willamette National Forest burned by last summer’s wildfires. The ruling Friday comes after two environmental groups sued to stop the logging near Breitenbush Hot Springs and Detroit Lake. The groups allege the Forest Service changed their plans to thin trees and conduct prescribed burns to include salvage logging after the 2020 wildfire without going through the proper environmental review process and getting public input. A different judge halted Forest Service plans to log in another part of the Willamette National Forest in November.