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ENVIRONMENT Jacksonville considers its options on Britt Ridge Comment By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 31, 2015 at 11:30 AM By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 31, 2015 at 11:30 AM » Social News JACKSONVILLE — It was a meeting a lot of committees might wish for — a walk in the woods. The town’s Parks, Recreation and Visitors Services Committee had a guided tour with City Forester Paul Kangas in the Britt Ridge timber area last week to learn about the health and biology of the 80 acres of the woods that belongs to the city. “I’m thinking it ought to have some kind of intervention,” Kangas told the group. A fuel reduction program was undertaken in 2002-03 and salvage logging occurred in 1998 on the acreage between the Britt Festival grounds and Highway 238. Committee members, citizens and city workers — 16 in all — walked established trails in the area to view varying stands. Tom Sensinig, a former Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service ecologist, and Don Goheen, an entomologist and plant pathologist, provided expert commentary on the stands. While the site is basically a pine forest, suppression of fire in the area beginning more than a century ago has allowed Douglas fir to emerge in many stands. There’s a lot of ground vegetation in the area and clumps of madrone that have sprung up from stumps left after the fuel reduction. The area has pine site potential, said Sensinig. Goheen said the site would be best suited for pine and incense cedar and noted the firs are under attack by flathead fir borer insects as are similar stands in the region. “With the really dry weather we have here and the long term climate conditions, it will be better for these insects for a long time,” said Goheen. During the tour, skies above a stand with dead Douglas firs were filled with woodpeckers, who store food in tree cavities. But the location also contains healthy firs. “Do we want to see these firs die over the next couple years, or do we want to take some of them out while they have value?” Kangas asked the group. Logging could be done with tractors and a cable operation where necessary, said Kangas. But city workers are concerned about impacting the popular trails as little as possible. They might be used as paths for removing logs. “It’s an asset to the city,” said parks employee Eric Villarreal. Visitors enjoy being able to walk a short distance from downtown to be in the woods, he said. The entire Britt Woods has 320 acres with walking trails. Prior to any work, seeds from plants native to the area should be collected for future use, Sensinig said, noting they’d also be good to have in the event of a fire. Potential for fires in such woodlands range from a high of 90 percent to a low of 20 percent, depending on area treatments, Sensing explained. Reducing plant diversity would mean more water for species that are desirable at the site, Sensinig said. “There is a pretty vigorous state of competition here.” Opening up the stands would aid pine and cedar growth, and discourage firs, both Kangas and Goheen said. Committee Chair Steve Casaleggio said the group will look at options for the site. Kangas will prepare a proposal outlining possibilities. The committee is advisory to the city council, which would consider potential treatment. Tony Boom is a freelance writer living in Ashland. Reach him at [email protected]. By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 31, 2015 at 11:30 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... 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