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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 Ashland officials ask: Where to cut? How much to cut? By TONY BOOM Mail Tribune Howard Heiner would like a watershed with fewer trees, one that could be brought back into a natural fire ecology cycle. The retired industrial forester will get a chance to promote his vision as consideration of a draft city Forest Lands Commission thinning plan gets under way in the coming days. A City Council study session is set for Wednesday at noon in council chambers. "The controversy is around what size to remove and how to go about it," said Heiner. "We are going to have a big discussion here in Ashland." Commissioners started putting the documenting together in June of 2001. They’ve gone through 16 drafts and expect to see many more changes. "It’s an evolving document," said Commissioner Frank Betlejewski. "Once it hits the streets it’s going to be even more evolving. The real issues will develop out of the public process." "I’d like to see people with concerns. I have concerns," said Commissioner Liz Crosson, "I’m really looking forward to getting a lot of input from the public and the City Council." The forest that borders Ashland has become more dense because naturally occurring fires have been suppressed in the watershed since 1910. Denser forests bring insects, poor tree health and greater fire risks. Since 1996, the city has removed trees less than 7 inches in diameter on 486 acres beneath Reeder Reservoir and another 160 acres in the Windburn parcel further up Ashland Creek’s west fork. The rest of the 18,000-acre watershed is mostly Forest Service land, which has its own management plan. Few citizens attended the public commission meetings where the document was developed. Eric Navickas, a recent City Council candidate who has attended sessions on the plan and has been active in a variety of issues in the city, is concerned that removal of larger trees with commercial value will be used to help pay for thinning. The removal would damage the environment and increase fire risks, he says. The document calls for helicopter logging to reduce soil damage. "In order to make it cost-effective through helicopter logging they need to get significant volume," said Navickas. "We’ve said repeatedly ... no trees will be cut and sold in order to increase the value of the timber sale," said Commissioner Steve Jensen. "What is left behind is far more important than what is taken out." Economics are not addressed in the draft. "It might end up costing the city to get the forest back to health again," Jensen said. The City Council is expected to schedule public hearings on the plan after the study session. The document would probably then come back to the commission for revisions based on input. Final adoption is up to the council. Navickas and commissioners expect debate to center on the Winburn parcel, which has old-growth forest characteristics. "It’s above our drinking water source, so there’s a lot of issues with soils," said Navickas. More of the commercially valuable timber is located there, too, he says. "I’m concerned about where the commission is on the activity they want to do on the Winburn parcel," said Crosson. "The current document doesn’t detail this at all. We haven’t been able to agree. I’d like to see minimal management." Commission Chair Bill Robertson and others would like to see work start early next year. "We feel it’s important to be on the ground next spring," said Jensen. "The wild card is the public process and how much time that will take," said Fire Chief Keith Woodley, city liaison to the commission. Responsibility in the watershed A 1992 forest plan adopted by the City Council calls for management of city-owned forest land to maintain the watershed and provide Ashland with a high-quality water source. Under that directive, the Forest Lands Commission has established goals in its restoration project draft. They include: Reduce the likelihood of a large-scale, high-intensity wildfire. Increase soil stability. Plan for eventual return of a natural fire cycle. Protect riparian (creekside) zones. Promote healthy forest stands by reducing density and thinning smaller trees. Treatment would be site-specific based on vegetation types. A total of 23 landscape units are identified in the lower watershed and eight on the Winburn parcel. Management of the watershed would be designed to protect larger-diameter and older conifers and hardwood species. Trees targeted for removal would mostly have developed since fire suppression began and would be 50 to 100 years old. "This could be a model for the entire watershed," said Commissioner Steve Jensen. "Our next mission is to open up the dialogue for attention to the overall watershed." Reach Ashland bureau reporter Tony Boom at 482-4651, 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. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times