Document text
L/FOG Temp: 45 °F Wind: SSE at 3 mph Saturday, November 23, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 23, 2002 Gov John Kitzhaber takes notes at the Upper Applegate Grange Monday as local residents talk about their experiences during the Squire fire. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Applegaters want brush removal By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune Applegate Valley residents told Gov. John Kitzhaber Monday they want more trees and brush removed from public forests to reduce the danger of catastrophic fires like last week’s Squire fire. "We can do all the thinning we want on our 5 and 10 and 20 acres," said Matt Epstein, who lives on a small parcel adjacent to land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. "But if you can’t get thinning on the 1,000 acres around you, it’s like a pebble in the ocean." Wisps of smoke from hot spots in the Squire fire still lingered in the Applegate Valley as Kitzhaber met with local residents to talk about their experiences during the fire. The governor stopped in Southern Oregon during a helicopter tour of burned areas on both sides of the Cascades. Kitzhaber said states across the West need to find a way to reduce the fire hazard from accumulated woody material on forests where fires have been suppressed for decades. "We can’t just do this every summer," Kitzhaber said, noting firefighters’ efforts during the past week to contain lightning fires that broke out across Southern Oregon. "We’ve got to do whatever it takes to make these forests healthy," he said. The governor listened as about a dozen Applegate Vaalley residents talked about what they have learned after surviving two major wildfires in two consecutive summers. They repeatedly praised firefighters for saving their homes and property during several anxious nights. "We’re going to have a big thank-you party," said Audrey Merz, who lives with her husband, Warren, near the burned area. "In September, when things cool down." Residents praised firefighters’ efforts to keep them informed. Fire bosses came to the Upper Applegate Grange for five consecutive nights to talk about their progress on the fire. "Every one of these experts came down to those nightly meetings," said Warren Merz, the grange master. "The first night we had 177 people. I couldn’t get them in the door." "We were as well-informed as we could possibly be," said Applegate resident Reeve Hennion. Cheryl Henderson told the governor how neighbors kept each other informed through telephone trees, taped telephone messages and e-mails. "Our community was prepared," Henderson said. "We were able to go right into ‘go’ mode." Audrey Merz told the governor more ponds should be built in fire-prone areas to create additional water sources for helicopters and tanker trucks. Creating those sources closer to residences would give trucks and helicopters quicker turn-around times. Warren Merz told the governor many people still don’t understand fire’s role in Southern Oregon woodlands. "My concern is that it’s taken two fires to wake people up," he said. "We’ve still got some people saying, ‘Don’t cut.’ " He recalled a conversation with a firefighter during the Quartz fire in summer 2001. "I asked him how it was going, and he told me it was a nightmare because of the fuel buildup. He told me, ‘You guys don’t know how to manage your own woods.’ " Sandy Shaffer said Applegate residents’ interest in fire-prevention techniques has been sharpened by two major fires in as many years, but people in other watersheds may still not see the need for reducing forest fuels where they live. "I’m seeing that we’re going to have to make an extra effort for some people," Shaffer said. "I hope our neighbors will help spread the word." Kitzhaber said public money will be needed to fund some thinning projects that don’t generate enough revenue from timber to cover the costs. "In some places, let’s face it," he said, "the public is going to have to help." Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S