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HAZE Temp: 46 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Friday, November 22, 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 September 1, 2002 Residents will write the end of this fire story The Applegate Fire Plan is one of the first finished in the West By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune The 200-page book contains all the trappings of a good novel: conflict, drama, pathos, suspense, terror. As the plot thickens, there is even a villain who could be lured away from destructive ways, given the proper enticements. But you’ll find no resolution in "The Applegate Fire Plan" written by Applegate Valley activists Sandy Shaffer and Jack Shipley. It was edited by writer and educator Diana Coogle, another Applegate Valley resident. The ending is left up to individual Applegate Valley residents who review the book funded by the National Fire Plan. The local fire plan, one of the first in the West to be completed, focuses on ways residents can work with natural resource agencies to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires in the nearly half-million-acre valley. A late summer fire could be a villain if it has its way in forests overgrown from decades of fire suppression, the authors say. But it could be a hero, if prescribed in areas where and when it will clear only underbrush and small trees, they add. The book includes everything from a historic overview to examining the diversity of the terrain and vegetation found in the valley. Its suggestions for fuel reduction range from grazing with goats to mechanical and manual treatment. Shaffer and Shipley relied on the expertise and experience of countless specialists, from forest ecologists to those who battle wildfires for a living. The plan was coordinated by the Applegate Partnership, a group dedicated to improving ecological and economic health in the Applegate River watershed. Shipley helped found that group in 1992. Every valley household — some 7,400 — along with agencies and special interest groups in the area will receive a copy of the plan in the coming weeks. The first copy was given last week to Kathleen Clarke, national director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The BLM is one of the largest landholders in the valley. Neighbors are encouraged to discuss the plan across the fence, chat about it over coffee or debate its contents in groups. Given the diverse opinions and lifestyles of the estimated 12,000 valley residents, the authors don't expect a consensus. "Our big hurdle is to get people to do the initial treatment on their land," Shipley explained. "The other is that you must come back to do the treatment every five, six, seven years — whatever it is needed in your area. "But if I can get my neighbors to get their land done, my land is at less risk," he added. "If he and I get the next neighbor to do it, then we’re all at less risk." The Rogue and Applegate valleys have the highest fire risk of any areas west of the Cascade Range, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry. What happens after the plan is distributed is a bit unclear, although Shaffer and Shipley believe the current concern about wildfires will fuel continued action. About 400 valley residents already have thinned around their homes this past year, using $250,000 granted from the National Fire Plan. "We have funds for monitoring, and funds for people to continue to do work around their homes next year," Shaffer said, referring to National Fire Plan money. "We also have funding for more outreach. "And our plan has a list of strategic projects throughout the watersheds," she added. But how those projects can be applied across the landscape has yet to be determined, she said. "The president’s plan is real darn close to what we’ve got," she said, referring to the forest health proposal announced by President Bush during his visit to the area in late August. "We need to engage with the agencies now that the plan is done," Shipley said. "Now we need to start budgeting money and prioritizing projects. All that needs to be put on the radar screen." While the Applegate plan is new to the region, wildfires are not. Sparked by lightning, the Quartz fire ravaged more than 6,000 acres in the Little Applegate River drainage in August 2001, destroying three remote dwellings. Lightning also ignited the Squire fire, which burned 2,800 acres between Ruch and Buncom in July of this year. And the nearly half-million-acre Biscuit fire, roughly the size of the entire Applegate Valley watershed, continues to burn in the Siskiyou National Forest to the west. That fire is the largest in the state since the Silverton fire burned almost one million acres in 1865. By cutting down on fuels that can lead to catastrophic fires, the Applegate Fire Plan aims to reduce fire suppression costs as well as hazards, although Shaffer and Shipley are quick to observe no one expects to prevent all wildfires. Low- intensity fires actually benefit forests, they note. The plan also calls for residents to work with each other and with government agencies in the event of any natural disaster, be it fire or flood. "It’s really incumbent upon them to do their own work on their own land," Shipley said. "This book contains some of tools on how to do it. No one is saying you have to do this. "The initial emphasis is on the communities at risk, but it is not limited to that," he adds. "But it has always been our intention that the entire watershed ultimately needs to be treated." While there is still considerable debate among many on how much of the land should be thinned beyond the urban interface, most agree that each thinning project must be adjusted to each site. But the key to reducing the threat to a catastrophic fire is working together across all artificial lines, Shipley said. "This not only goes across party lines but also property lines," he said. "We don’t address taking out old-growth in here," Shaffer said. "That’s not what it’s about." What it is about is simply reducing the threat of a wildfire that could devastate a given area, she reiterated. "We can achieve a lot of incredible possibilities by just working together." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [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