Wildfires spark Congress timber debate 08/06/02 MICHAEL MILSTEIN Lawmakers are seizing on Oregon wildfires to push for stepped-up logging on the east side of the Cascades, causing environmental groups to suddenly back away from a bill they have long sought to protect old growth on the west side of the mountains. While some Republican lawmakers and the timber industry say this summer's wildfires expose the failing health of the drier east-side forests, many environmentalists say they fear that lawmakers may "sell out" those fire-prone forests while saving the oldest remaining trees on the wetter and battle-worn west side. "It's a...