Document text
SUNNY Temp: 94 °F Wind: NW at 4 mph Sunday, September 28, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection 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 Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend June 18, 2003 Feds bare battle plan for cedars By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune Uncle Sam has come up with five proposed battle plans in its new strategy in the war against the Port Orford cedar root disease. The options are contained in a recently released draft supplemental environmental impact statement for management plans already in place for the Siskiyou National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management’s Medford, Coos Bay and Roseburg districts. The disease — Phytophthora lateralis — kills Port Orford cedar trees, which are native to southwest Oregon and northwest California. The public has until Sept. 12 to comment on the proposals put together by a team that includes Forest Service and BLM specialists as well as others. Advertisement "We are trying to identify the strategy that best balances the need to maintain the cedar with the need to continue other forest uses," said team leader Ken Denton in a prepared statement. The five alternatives in the draft statement seek ways to stop the spread of the disease and slow the spread where it is already present, Denton said. Unlike the more common incense cedar, Port Orford cedar has feathery boughs which have made it a popular ornamental plant. It has also been used for making arrow shafts. The disease, believed to have originated in Asia, was discovered in the Pacific Northwest in a Seattle nursery in the early 1920s. It began to show up in Port Orford cedar stands in the early 1950s. Patches of dead, brown Port Orford cedar are now scattered throughout the region. Researchers have found that blocking off roads leading to infected areas appears to slow its advance, as does washing vehicles that have passed through an infected area. Disease spores have been found in the mud that clings to vehicles. Although they haven’t yet found a cure for the disease, researchers have discovered seedlings that are naturally disease resistant. Copies of the draft supplemental impact statement are available at libraries as well as at BLM and Siskiyou forest offices. Additional details are available at http://www.or.blm.gov/planning/Port-Orford-cedar_SEIS/ . Comments can be e-mailed to [email protected] or sent by regular mail to Port-Orford-cedar SEIS team, PO Box 2965, Portland, OR 97208. 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