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CLEAR Temp: 58 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, June 26, 2003 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 March 2, 2003 Steve Baker walks with his daughter, Sydney, 2, and Dawg, left, and Kona on newly sprouted grass on his property in the Squires Peak fire area off Sterling Creek Road southwest of Medford. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Green shields fire-stripped land State provided seed to help landowners prevent soil erosion By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune RUCH — Lush clover, brassica and other grasses stretch across Steve Baker’s little piece of heaven like a bright green shield protecting barren soil left in the wake of July’s Squires Peak fire. The thick ash is gone and the three tractor-cut fire breaks through Baker’s 38 acres are virtually invisible beneath the 4-inch-thick mat of fresh grasses now providing stability for sensitive and erosion-prone topsoil as well as food for animals displaced by flames. "You can barely see where the Cat trails were," says Baker, a 30-year-old pharmacist. "It’s just all bright green and wonderful. It’s taken an area devastated by fire and made it one that looks beautiful. The grass isn’t just greener on Baker’s side of the fence. Across Oregon, private landowners who planted free grass seed in freshly burned areas report great green-up on more than 7,800 acres of private lands burned during the 2002 summer fire season. That includes 282 acres within the Squires Peak fire, as well as the Timbered Rock fire near Trail — the two main Jackson County blazes where landowners took advantage of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife seeding program last fall. "There’s nothing coming back on these unplanted areas. They’re just black," said Vince Oredson, an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist who helped distribute free seed to area landowners. "But where we’ve seeded, it’s a bright green," Oredson said. The greenery has helped curb erosion, squelch noxious weeds and provide winter forage for black-tailed deer, turkeys and other wildlife just as planned when the ODFW provided the emergency seeding program last fall. Fearing habitat loss and erosion, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission freed up more than $100,000 of hunting license fees through its Access and Habitat Program to buy a mix of non-native grass seed. The non-native seed was chosen because it was cheaper and more readily available than native seeds, and biologists didn’t believe it would squeeze out native plants. The agency streamlined its regular application process and provided it free to owners of burned-over land, who were responsible for spreading it themselves. Baker said he jumped at the chance, fearing winter rains would strip his topsoil exposed when flames ran through thick timber, burned his shed and got as close as 1 foot from his Sterling Creek Road house. Baker said he spent six straight weekends in October and November spreading the seed over 35 acres of his 38 acres. "It was pretty tough work in some steep areas," Baker said. "It’s not like some flat field you could cover with a four-wheeler." The grass took advantage of moist and warm conditions, germinating quickly and generating the quilt-like covering. Now, black-tailed deer regularly feed on it, and two different black bears have spent time in the grass. "Those animals are definitely enjoying it," Baker said. Wildlife are enjoying fresh grasses on 7,829 acres planted under the program, which cost $132,446, said Susan Barnes, access and habitat program manager. The projects statewide ranged from as small as 20 acres to as large as 3,539 acres in the Summer Lake area, Barnes said. "The majority were parcels similar to Baker’s," she said. Today’s green grass will be tomorrow’s tinder grass prone to fire this summer, but it’s a trade-off that wildland fire specialists believe is an acceptable one. Dan Thorpe, Medford Unit forester for the Oregon Department of Forestry and the commander of the firefighting force that battled the Squires Peak fire said the benefits for soil stabilization far outweigh the potential troubles from the extra grass. "Like a lot of things, there’s trade-offs," Thorpe said. "We think it’s good to stabilize soils early." As in all rural settings, however, landowners are advised to cut flammable vegetation from around their homes, Thorpe said. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, 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 © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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