Plans Call For 36,000 Acre Project Near McKenzie Bridge
A Community Meeting is Set for December 4th in Leaburg
MCKENZIE BRIDGE: The McKenzie River Ranger District has begun planning a major forest management efforts in the upper valley that aim to reduce wildfire risk and support the local timber economy while also and improving forest health across nearly 37,000 acres.
The Tie Project, developed in partnership with the Oregon Department of Forestry under the Good Neighbor Authority, covers 36,982 acres in Lane and Linn counties. The Forest Service’s scoping process is now underway and the public is invited to weigh in on the proposal. A project website with maps and documents is available on the Willamette National Forest’s project page.
Details include plans for treating up to 7,898 acres through a combination of thinning, shaded fuel breaks, and road system improvements. According to the agency, the work is needed to address four goals: providing a sustainable timber supply, lowering the risk of high-severity wildfires, improving forest resilience and biodiversity, and maintaining access for recreation, management, and firefighting.
A majority of the planned treatments – about 6,100 acres – would involve “variable density thinning,” a method that creates a mix of preserved patches or skips, small opening gaps, and selectively thinned stands. Officials say this approach was designed to mirror natural disturbance patterns, improve habitat diversity, and strengthen trees against disease, insects, and drought.
Another 1,790 acres would receive roadside shaded fuel breaks, with an additional 772 acres overlapping thinning units. Planners say these breaks would remove ladder fuels and invasive brush while leaving an overstory canopy, creating safer corridors for firefighters and moderating fire behavior along key routes.
The project also proposes maintaining existing forest roads and building temporary ones needed for harvest operations. The temporary roads would be removed and rehabilitated after the work is completed.
The Forest Service plans to prepare an Environmental Assessment under a new national NEPA rule issued on July 3. The analysis calls for examining potential environmental, cultural, and social impacts of the proposed activities a well as helping determine the final overall project design. A draft Environmental Assessment is expected in 2026, with a final decision anticipated in fall of that year.
A community meeting to discuss the project is scheduled for Wednesday, December 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the McKenzie Fire and Rescue Training Center, 42870 McKenzie Highway in Leaburg. Residents will have an opportunity to ask questions, review maps, and provide early input.
The agency is encouraging comments that are site-specific and focused on the potential effects of proposed activities. Submissions should be received by December 26.
Comments may be submitted online, by mail, or in person at the meeting. All comments, including the names and addresses of commenters, will become part of the public record.
People can comment online at: tinyurl.com/5avs92rk, by mail sent to McKenzie River Ranger District, Attn: Jessica Eves, 57600 McK. Hwy, McKenzie Bridge, OR 97413.
Officials say a field trip to the project area may be offered once analysis is further along. People interested in a field trip should note it in their comments.
A second comment period will open when the draft Environmental Assessment is released. Implementation is expected to begin shortly after a final decision in 2026.
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