US Forest Service starts clearing homeless camp in Oregon national forest, where some have lived for years

Dozens of homeless people who have been living in a national forest in central Oregon for years were being evicted Thursday by the US Forest Service, as it closed the area for a wildfire prevention project that will involve removing smaller trees, clearing debris and setting controlled burns over thousands of acres.

Dozens of homeless people who have been living in a national forest in central Oregon for years were being evicted Thursday by the US Forest Service, as it closed the area for a wildfire prevention project that will involve removing smaller trees, clearing debris and setting controlled burns over thousands of acres. The project has been on the books for years, and the decision to remove the encampment in the Deschutes National Forest comes two months after the Trump administration issued an executive order directing federal agencies to increase timber production and forest management projects aimed at reducing wildfire risk. Deschutes National Forest spokesperson Kaitlyn Webb said in an email that the closure order was “directly tied to the forest restoration work.” Homeless advocates, meanwhile, seized on the timing on Thursday as US Forest Service officers blocked the access road. “The fact that they are doing this with such vigor shortly after they announced that the forests would be opened up for logging I don’t think is a coincidence,” said Jesse Rabinowitz, spokesperson for the National Homelessness Law Center. The US Department of Agriculture, which oversees the US Forest Service, and the service’s Pacific Northwest Region did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment. “The closure does not target any specific user group and will restrict all access, including day use and overnight camping, while crews operate heavy machinery, conduct prescribed burns, and clean up hazardous materials,” Webb said. “It’s not safe for the public to be in the area while heavy machinery is operating, trees are being felled, mowing operations are active, and prescribed burning is occurring.”