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CLEAR Temp: 75 °F Wind: N at 3 mph Friday, May 23, 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 Linda Duffy As forest — and subplots — thicken, thoughts turn to thinning By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune When Linda Duffy thinks about the work ahead, she feels both optimistic and overwhelmed. But the ranger for the Rogue River National Forest’s Ashland District says there is no alternative to the planned thinning of some 41,000 acres of brush and trees overlooking the city of Ashland. About two-thirds of that land, including much of the roughly 18,000-acre Ashland Creek watershed, is managed by the Forest Service. The remainder is private or city-owned land. "It is my job to do, and I intend to do it well," she said of the national forest land. "But it’s going to be very tough. Some people will think we are using fire as a scare tactic." Yet years of fire suppression in the watershed, which provides water for the city of Ashland, has created an abnormally dense forest, one that fire behavior experts say could explode in a chimney effect if sparked during extreme fire danger. Noting last year’s devastating fire season, which burned several hundred thousand acres and more than two dozen homes in Oregon, and caused the evacuation of several communities, Duffy said it is only a matter of time before a wildfire erupts some smoldering July or August afternoon. "This isn’t about scaring people," she said. "But if we want our water system uninterrupted, at the quality and quantity it is now, we have to do something to protect it." The area is also an important ecological bridge between the Siskiyou and Cascade ranges, she said. "We are not going to do an analysis or make a decision on the city or the private land," she said. "But we are going to look across the ecological landscape, trying to figure out what is going on and determine what coordinated actions could be taken to make fire behavior more manageable." A wildfire does not stop at property lines, she said, adding that the agency will be working with the city, concerned groups and individuals. "We don’t have a lot of time to argue about all the issues," she said. "So we have to give ourselves a deadline, do our very best job and move forward." The goal is to move swiftly through the planning process and begin the work in the spring of 2004. The first step will be the completion of the Upper Bear (Creek) Ecosystem Assessment this May after six months of study by a team of scientists. That assessment will update the current environmental condition information on the acres to be treated. The National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) process, including public input, will begin upon the completion of the assessment. The draft environmental impact statement would be completed in December. "We would have a final (EIS) out two months after that," Duffy said. "It will be very quick." How much of the vegetation will be removed depends on the scientific report, public input and other factors, she said. However, one goal will be to retain the large dominant pines that are fire- resistant. In comparison to the one-year goal of starting work on the ground in this project, it took five years to approve the former Ashland Interface Fire-Hazard Reduction, or "hazred", after it was first proposed in 1996. The agency has only cut, piled and burned about 100 acres of the 500 acres it earmarked in the final analysis of that project. "There was a lot of turmoil over that," acknowledged Duffy who has earned a reputation of working with the diverse interests in the Ashland-area forestland. That project was launched as a fuels-reduction effort implemented by timber sales, leading many local environmental activists to balk. Under the Northwest Forest Plan, the national forestland in the watershed was designated late successional reserve (LSR). That creation opened up a debate about what comprises an old-growth forest, she said. The agency mission with this project is not to engage in endless philosophical debate, she said. "You have to listen, understand people’s concerns, alleviate the concerns you can and step forward (with a decision)," she said. "It is a challenge." But not treating the watershed poses a worse scenario in which a fire could devastate the area, threatening homes, lives and the watershed, she said. "It’s kind of a tricky line to find the right balance," she said. "We need to retain enough root structure to hold the soil in place yet remove enough vegetation to interrupt fire behavior. "What you want to have happen is for the fire to move across the floor of the forest and not get into the canopy," she added. "Once it gets into the canopy, it’s very difficult to suppress." If treated properly, mimicking the natural thinning provided by Mother Nature, there is a greater likelihood there would be no stand-replacing canopy fire, she added. "What we want is to have our grandchildren and their grandchildren see a fire come through the watershed as part of the natural course without destroying the watershed," she said. 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 © 1997-2003 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