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Panel seeks more input on forests By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings The Ashland Forest Lands Commission will hold public field trips and invite everyone from environmentalists to business owners along in an effort to garner more input on a draft plan to reduce wildfire risk on city owned lands in the Ashland Watershed. The commission held workshops and a watershed hike last month, but received few comments on the plan. Eric Navickas, an environmental activist and critic of the plan who attended a Wednesday commission meeting, said the lack of public input is unfortunate. "This is a project that includes cutting fuel breaks directly across Ashland Creek and allows trees to be cut that are over 17 inches without a diameter limit," he said. "The commission is discussing over 100 log trucks rolling down Granite Street. We need some comment from the public." The city has been carrying out thinning of small diameter trees and brush on its lands for years, but now has reached the point where commercially sized trees could be logged. At Wednesday's meeting, commissioners agreed to schedule field trips to provide a general overview of the plan for any member of the public on the second Tuesday of June, July and August from 3 to 7 p.m., beginning June 10. Invitations will be sent out to environmental organizations, the Ashland Chamber of Commerce and other groups to invite them on Saturday expeditions to address any areas of special interest or concern. Under the commission's City Forest Lands Restoration Project, the lower watershed area extending from Granite Street to the upper end of Reeder Reservoir would be thinned, although the acreage to be treated has not been determined. Some portion of the 160-acre Winburn Parcel, which sits higher in the Watershed and has more mature trees, also would be thinned. The Ashland City Council, which must approve the plan, has indicated it would like to see work begin this fall and winter. Navickas has expressed concern about logging mature trees in the Winburn Parcel and other issues. Marty Main, the city's forestry consultant, said the two portions of the project could be severed to expedite thinning on the lower parcel and to allow more time to resolve issues about treating the Winburn Parcel. The lower parcel is in rapid decline, he said. "It's really important to move forward on the lower parcel and not waste opportunities - with or without the upper parcel," Main said. The cost of the plan has yet to be determined. Commissioners said they have intentionally avoided discussions of how to pay for the work so there would be no incentive to harvest large trees to cover costs. "No wood will be taken out of the woods just to make it pencil out," said Commissioner Stephen Jensen. The draft thinning plan is available on the city's Web site at www.ashland.or.us by clicking on Commissions & Committees, then Forest Lands Commission and then City Forest Lands Restoration Project. To sign up for a field trip, call Nancy Slocum at 488-5587. In other business, the commission agreed to hold a special meeting when all seven members could attend to elect a new chairperson after the six members present were equally divided on who to elect. Bill Robertson has chaired the commission for years and received three votes, while Liz Crosson - a relative newcomer and outreach coordinator for the Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center environmental group - received the same number. "Liz should not serve as chair because of her newness and position of employment," Robertson said, sparking debate among commissioners. Also Wednesday, commissioners agreed they would not be ready to present an updated thinning plan to the city council on June 3, as had been tentatively scheduled. Additionally, they decided to ask the council if that body wants them to study and make comments on the proposed Mt. Ashland Ski Area expansion. Crosson had suggested the commission comment on the expansion, but Robertson said he did not want to divert commissioners' attention from the thinning project if their input on the expansion was not requested by the council. The Ashland Ranger District is preparing a draft Environmental Impact Statement detailing several expansion alternatives. That document could be released as soon as next month. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -