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69 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, May 24, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Biz Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 22, 2005 Watershed-logging plan stirs countywide debate By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune A proposal to log 8,725 acres in the watershed around Big Butte Springs could jeopardize Medford’s major water source, Jackson County Commissioner Dave Gilmour warns. But others believe it will help prevent a catastrophic fire that would pose a greater threat. In a letter written to the U.S. Forest Service on May 11, Gilmour urges the agency to consider a less-aggressive logging proposal because it "would do the best job in protecting the quality of drinking water that is consumed by the residents of Medford, Central Point, Jacksonville, Phoenix, Talent, White City and Eagle Point." He supports an option that would take 42.7 million board feet out of 4,782 acres of forest, which he said would be enough thinning to prevent devastating wildfires while helping to preserve the watershed. Jackson County’s other two commissioners — Jack Walker and C.W. Smith — and the U.S. Forest Service disagree, however. Advertisement Out of five plans described in an environmental report, they support one that would cull trees and vegetation from 8,725 acres with a variety of management methods, yielding an estimated 82.7 million board feet of commercial timber. The timber would be offered in multiple sales of 5 million board feet or less over a three- to five-year period. Even the Medford Water Commission, keeper of the valley’s pristine water supply at Big Butte Springs, has encouraged the larger logging operation. "We’re in support of what’s been proposed," said Bob Jones, geologist for the commission. However, Jones said the proposal to complete the logging in five years is optimistic because there isn’t enough Forest Service staff to complete the administrative and oversight work needed. He said a more reasonable time frame would be about 10 years. The commission, which owns 3,500 acres of the 56,000-acre watershed, has already undertaken thinning operations of its own. "We’ve thinned out our thickets, and theirs is standing right next to ours, and we’ve said, ‘When are you going to do yours?’ " he said. He said that because of the small number of acres that would be thinned annually — roughly 1,700 — it would have minimal impact on the watershed. Precautions would be taken to minimize damage from vehicles and equipment used in the logging operation, he said. What would be far worse for the watershed, Jones said, is a catastrophic fire. Gilmour, however, maintains that aggressive logging could damage the watershed, not just from the felling of trees but from the heavy equipment used to move and transport the logs. "The alternative I favor would have the least impact on compaction and erosion," he said. Gilmour said the push to log more is an excuse to go after larger-diameter trees, a tendency that he sees around the country because of timber policies promoted by the Bush administration. Given that the Butte Falls logging proposal is taking place in the watershed for Medford’s water source, Gilmour said it would be more prudent to take a cautious approach. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Advertisement s