Tuesday, September 29, 2026 / Southwest Lane County / western Oregon
The 3,400-acre Blue and Gold logging fight is headed to the Ninth Circuit
BLM, a timber-industry group and an association representing Lane County want an appeals court to revive a project a federal judge vacated over old-growth protections and environmental review.
The fight over the Blue and Gold Harvest Plan has moved from a Eugene federal courtroom to the Ninth Circuit. The Bureau of Land Management and two timber-aligned groups are appealing a ruling that vacated the nearly 3,400-acre logging project about 60 miles southwest of Eugene.
The May ruling found that BLM had not shown compliance with its own protections for large, old trees and had not adequately explained why the project's old-growth effects were insignificant. BLM, the American Forest Resource Council and the Association of O&C Counties filed notices of appeal September 18; the appeals court opened the cases September 23. Lane County belongs to the county association.
No logging restart follows automatically from an appeal. The district-court order remains the operative result unless another court changes it, and opening briefs are due November 2.
Field notes
What changed: BLM and timber interests appealed the order vacating the Blue and Gold logging project, opening two related Ninth Circuit cases.
Why it matters: The appeal affects a large federal timber project, old-growth protections, timber supply and county-revenue arguments involving an association that includes Lane County.
Who may be affected: Residents and workers tied to federal forest management, conservation groups, timber businesses and Lane County officials.