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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Rowers from across country coming to Ashland ... Community Contributor: Loving the dandelions! ... Annual Bike Swap set for Saturday ... Rowers from across country coming to Ashland ... Community Contributor: Loving the dandelions! ... Annual Bike Swap set for Saturday ... OUR VIEW Our View: Fight fire with fire Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Mar. 24, 2016 at 12:01 AM Posted Mar. 24, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News The Ashland Forest Resiliency project, long touted as a model for restoring overgrown forests, has received another big vote of confidence in the form of $5.6 million in grants from federal and state agencies, which will allow thinning and brush-clearing work to continue. Ashland residents can take credit for helping make it happen through a surcharge on water bills that brings in about $175,000 a year. That's an appropriate funding source, because erosion after a catastrophic fire in the watershed would threaten the city's Reeder Reservoir, not to mention homes and businesses. The project, begun in 2010, includes logging small-diameter trees to thin the forest, brush removal and controlled burns of debris when weather permits. The goal is to return the forest to the natural state that predated decades of fire suppression. Before aggressive firefighting began in the 1940s, naturally occurring, low-intensity fires would move through the forest about every eight years on average, burning brush and debris but leaving mature trees alive. That process served to prevent the kind of high-intensity, catastrophic wildfire that increasingly fills the region with dense smoke during the summer fire season. The restoration work provides some timber for local sawmills, but not enough to cover the project's costs, hence the grants. Among the recently announced grants is $3 million from the Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership, a cooperative effort of the U.S. Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The amount dwarfs awards to other projects, indicating the stature of the Ashland project. DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Mar. 24, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501