Spring 2001 - Blanchard Mountain

A Cedar Living
Photos and Text by Chris Goodenow

For Greg Bormuth, the Blanchard Mountain area is not the same as it once was. As the population of the surrounding area grows, Bormuth said so does the controversy around one of the communities’ mainstays — logging.

Amidst a changing community, Greg and Sara Bormuth’s small sawmill, called Barrel Springs Mill, remains unchanged. Located just off Interstate 5, at the base of Blanchard Mountain, Bormuth’s mill has operated for 22 years. The Bormuth’s run the mill the same way they have for the last two decades — by themselves. Bormuth said he doesn’t compete with the larger fir mills because they only process large amounts of fir trees. He said his mill currently produces about 4,000 board feet of lumber per week, enough to fill a 32-foot truckload.

On the emergence of the recent logging controversy, Bormuth feels that piecemeal, or selective logging, if done responsibly, offer the best results for the community.

"I think that trees are a crop," said Bormuth.

"It’s time to start taking it off, as long as we put it back."

He said he thinks the mountain can still accommodate recreation when it’s managed responsibly. Bormuth said he considers himself an advocate of sustainable management on the mountain.

"So that my kids have something when it’s their turn," he said.

Archives | Introduction | Welcome to Blanchard Mountain | Paper Trails | The Harvesters | A Cedar Living | Setting the Stage | Trail Block | Worth The Ride | Economics of Logging | Economics of Recreation | Living in the Shadow of the Mountain | A Walk in the Woods

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