Timber manager sentenced to prison for felling tree with eagle nest

A Grays Harbor County timber manager was sentenced to two months in federal prison Tuesday morning for ordering the felling of a tree containing a bald-eagle nest so he wouldn't have to obey federal land-use rules to protect the birds.

U.S. District Magistrate Judge Karen Strombom in Tacoma told 52-year-old Timothy Allen, of Elma, that he deserved to be locked up because he had lied about his crime to federal investigators. He also was ordered to spend four months on home detention.

Allen, owner of Allen's Forestry Services, was hired to clear land in Clallam County for development in 2004 when he paid a subcontractor $500 to saw down the tree. Biologists later found feathers and eggshells indicating the nest was in active use.

At the time, bald eagles were protected under the Endangered Species Act. They were removed from that list in 2007, but they remain strictly guarded by other laws including the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The laws would have limited activity in a wide circle around the nest.

Prosecutors said that when investigators contacted Allen about the tree, Allen denied any involvement. However, prosecutors said that immediately after the meeting, he drove two hours to Sequim to meet with the man who cut the tree so they could work out a story to tell investigators.

Ian Ith: 206-464-2109 or iith@seattletimes.com