The Bear Grub Timber Sale proposes group selection logging in mature, fire resistant forest at the headwaters of China Gulch in the Wellington Wildlands. The Wellington Wildlands is a 7,526-acre roadless area west of Ruch in the Applegate Valley. These units are also within the trail corridor of the proposed Applegate Ridge Trail, which would extend from Grants Pass to Jacksonville, Oregon. Trees marked with white paint are marked for removal.
The East Applegate Ridge Trail Units
The Bear Grub Timber Sale proposes logging large, old trees along the East Applegate Ridge Trail. Although newly created, this non-motorized trail is already one of the most popular in the Applegate Valley. It is also the first trail segment built by the Applegate Trails Association as part of the proposed Applegate Ridge Trail extending from Grants Pass to Jacksonville, Oregon. The area contains numerous group selection logging units with whole groves of mature forest marked for removal. The Bear Grub Timber Sale will degrade scenic qualities along the trail and in its immediate viewshed.
Bald Mountain Units
The Bald Mountain units in the Bear Grub Timber Sale are located on the divide between the Little Applegate River and Talent in the Rogue Valley. The area contains old forests, rare plant species, spectacular wildflower displays and upland prairie with incredible views to the Siskiyou Crest. It is also proposed as a portion of the Jack-Ash Trail, which once built would extend from Jacksonville to Ashland, Oregon.
The Deming Ridge Units above Sterling Creek
The Deming Ridge units in the Bear Grub Timber Sale are located on a dry grassy ridgeline dividing Grub Gulch from Deming Gulch in the Sterling Creek Watershed. One of the units is located in an isolated, old conifer forest surrounded by arid grasslands on the ridge’s southern face. The other unit is located on the more forested northern slope and is targeting some of the last mature forest on the ridgeline. The group selection logging units propose removing whole groves of large, dominant trees in healthy, fire resistant stands.
