The U.S. Forest Service is working on a multiyear program of tree thinning and forest restorations in the Blue Mountains known as "accelerated restoration."
The plan would provide more timber for mills while upping resistance to insects, disease and wildfires.
It's not clear precisely how much lumber will become available under the plan to reduce fuel loads in forests, and funding is still being worked out. However, mill owners are hopeful, while criticism from conservationists so far is muted.
"It is a pretty high priority for us to get this thing going and be successful at it," said Bill Aney, U.S. Forest Service restoration coordinator for the Blue Mountains. "We can't afford to lose the mills. We can't afford to lose the forests."
Read more at OregonLive.com.