Published: Tuesday, February 28, 2012, 8:50 PM Updated: Wednesday, February 29, 2012, 6:23 AM
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Spotted owl recovery plan calls for killing barred owls and designating habitat, but allowing logging
Northern spotted owls earned a place on the endangered species list due to habitat loss from logging and fire, but their biggest nemesis now is an East Coast cousin.
Monday, February 20, 2012
A promising O&C forest plan
Published: Monday, February 20, 2012, 6:18 PM
Wherever you live in Western Oregon, you have a stake in the proposal
to protect old trees while spurring logging and funding public services
An estimated 2.5 million Oregonians live within 10 miles of Oregon and California Railroad Grant Lands, known as O&C lands. Chances are, you're among them.
So don't turn away from the coming debate over the proposal by three Oregon congressmen to put almost 1.5 million of the 2.7 million acres of O&C lands into a public trust managed primarily for timber production.
This is more than a lifeline to those in desperate rural counties who live near places -- the Rogue Valley, the south coast, the Siskiyou mountains -- that many Portlanders visit once in their lives, if at all. The draft bill that Reps. Peter DeFazio, Kurt Schrader and Greg Walden have released would affect the public services, drinking water, fish and wildlife and recreation in 18 counties across Western Oregon.
You need to understand the history. In 1866, Congress was so eager to see a rail link between Portland and San Francisco that it deeded to the Oregon and California Railroad company 12,800 acres for every mile of track it laid in Oregon. After the company failed to keep its agreement to sell the land to settlers, Congress took back title on more than 2 million acres. Later, it decreed that these forests, which lie in a checkboard pattern the length of Western Oregon, should be maintained as timberlands and managed for permanent forest production.
It hasn't worked out that way. Inconsistent management and litigation have stalled logging across the O&C lands. The DeFazio bill seeks to fulfill the historical economic commitment to Oregon by putting most of the land covered with younger forest stands into a public trust managed by a board of Oregonians appointed by the governor.
The bill also would provide the first legal protection for old-growth forests across Western Oregon. It would create several new or expanded wilderness areas and provide new protections on 150 miles of streams. These are significant protections.
Of course, the proposal raises serious questions. Is age-class of forests the only or best way to distinguish them? Would water supplies, salmon strongholds and other critical conservation areas among the O&C lands be fully protected? We need to see more, and more detail, to know for sure.
Another key question is whether Oregon's Forest Practices Standards, the rules that would be applied to logging on the public trust lands, are adequate protections. If they are solid enough to govern the private working forests of Western Oregon, shouldn't they be sufficient for what the DeFazio bill envisions as public working forests?
We acknowledge it will take more than this bill to solve the financial problems in timber counties. Most counties must raise more local revenue -- Curry County is right, for example, to consider a local sales tax. The state also must be part of the solution. There's talk of a bond proposal that could fund forest restoration and other activities. That, too, is promising.
But the ultimate solution has to include getting more logs, more jobs, more revenues, out of the public forests that cover Western Oregon. We urge Oregonians to keep an open mind about the DeFazio bill, to consider all the region could gain from carefully balanced legislation protecting old forests while providing a future for rural counties.
You're going to hear strong attacks on the bill. But watch and listen closely to the conservation and industry leaders who have traditionally looked for solutions to the stalemate on federal forests. Many of them see potential and promise in the DeFazio bill. So do we.
to protect old trees while spurring logging and funding public services
An estimated 2.5 million Oregonians live within 10 miles of Oregon and California Railroad Grant Lands, known as O&C lands. Chances are, you're among them.
So don't turn away from the coming debate over the proposal by three Oregon congressmen to put almost 1.5 million of the 2.7 million acres of O&C lands into a public trust managed primarily for timber production.
This is more than a lifeline to those in desperate rural counties who live near places -- the Rogue Valley, the south coast, the Siskiyou mountains -- that many Portlanders visit once in their lives, if at all. The draft bill that Reps. Peter DeFazio, Kurt Schrader and Greg Walden have released would affect the public services, drinking water, fish and wildlife and recreation in 18 counties across Western Oregon.
You need to understand the history. In 1866, Congress was so eager to see a rail link between Portland and San Francisco that it deeded to the Oregon and California Railroad company 12,800 acres for every mile of track it laid in Oregon. After the company failed to keep its agreement to sell the land to settlers, Congress took back title on more than 2 million acres. Later, it decreed that these forests, which lie in a checkboard pattern the length of Western Oregon, should be maintained as timberlands and managed for permanent forest production.
It hasn't worked out that way. Inconsistent management and litigation have stalled logging across the O&C lands. The DeFazio bill seeks to fulfill the historical economic commitment to Oregon by putting most of the land covered with younger forest stands into a public trust managed by a board of Oregonians appointed by the governor.
The bill also would provide the first legal protection for old-growth forests across Western Oregon. It would create several new or expanded wilderness areas and provide new protections on 150 miles of streams. These are significant protections.
Of course, the proposal raises serious questions. Is age-class of forests the only or best way to distinguish them? Would water supplies, salmon strongholds and other critical conservation areas among the O&C lands be fully protected? We need to see more, and more detail, to know for sure.
Another key question is whether Oregon's Forest Practices Standards, the rules that would be applied to logging on the public trust lands, are adequate protections. If they are solid enough to govern the private working forests of Western Oregon, shouldn't they be sufficient for what the DeFazio bill envisions as public working forests?
We acknowledge it will take more than this bill to solve the financial problems in timber counties. Most counties must raise more local revenue -- Curry County is right, for example, to consider a local sales tax. The state also must be part of the solution. There's talk of a bond proposal that could fund forest restoration and other activities. That, too, is promising.
But the ultimate solution has to include getting more logs, more jobs, more revenues, out of the public forests that cover Western Oregon. We urge Oregonians to keep an open mind about the DeFazio bill, to consider all the region could gain from carefully balanced legislation protecting old forests while providing a future for rural counties.
You're going to hear strong attacks on the bill. But watch and listen closely to the conservation and industry leaders who have traditionally looked for solutions to the stalemate on federal forests. Many of them see potential and promise in the DeFazio bill. So do we.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
The O&C Trust, Conservation, and Jobs Act
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Oregon’s rural communities cannot afford another 20 years of gridlock in our federal forests. Without a new path forward, mills will continue to disappear, forest jobs will be outsourced, counties will be pushed off the budgetary cliff, and forest health will continue to decline.
During a time when it’s particularly hard to find common ground in public policy, Rep. Greg Walden, Rep. Kurt Schrader, and I have achieved a balanced forest health and jobs plan — in a uniquely Oregon way. After months of hard work and negotiation, we are pleased to present a discussion draft of the bipartisan “O&C Trust, Conservation, and Jobs Act.”
As a bipartisan coalition, we have worked through our differences to forge a plan that would create thousands of new jobs in Oregon’s forested communities, ensure the health of federal forests for future generations, and provide long-term funding certainty for Oregon’s rural schools, roads, and law enforcement agencies.
Federal support payments to rural and forested communities, commonly known as “county payments,” that helped support rural Oregon counties for over a decade expired on October 1.
Absent a long-term solution, diminishing county payments will have serious consequences for Oregon families and businesses. A recent Oregon State University study found that without county payments, Oregon’s rural counties will shed between 3,000 and 4,000 jobs. Oregon business sales will drop an estimated $385 million to $400 million. And counties will lose $250 million to $300 million in revenues.
For counties already near the financial cliff and facing depression-like unemployment, this could be the final blow. In fact, a few counties in our districts may soon call for a public safety emergency and will be forced to eliminate most state-mandated services – including services that help the neediest citizens in our communities.
This should alarm all Oregonians, even those who do not live in rural communities. Failing counties will have both budgetary and quality of life consequences for the entire state. Vital county services would be severely restricted or altogether disappear. Counties will continue to release offenders and close jail beds. Pot-holed roads and structurally deficient bridges will be neglected. And already underfunded rural schools will be devastated.
Given the serious fiscal crisis our forested communities face, we believe a new approach is necessary to create jobs, help stabilize Oregon’s rural communities, and better manage our forests.
Please take a moment to review the Discussion Draft, a Section-by-Section analysis of the draft bill, and the Myths and Facts documents below. After carefully reviewing our proposal, we encourage you to offer thoughtful, constructive, and specific comments in the space below.
The O&C Trust, Conservation, and Jobs Act at a glance:
Creates Jobs for Oregonians and Revitalizes Local Economies
- Creates thousands of new jobs in Oregon’s rural communities, according to the Oregon Forests Resources Institute.
- Continues the prohibition on exporting unprocessed logs from Federal lands. In order to preserve and expand Oregon’s manufacturing base, imposes penalties on businesses that violate the law and send family-wage jobs overseas.
- Allows for permanent timber production primarily on lands that have been previously harvested, ensuring a sustainable level of timber and forest products from federal lands to maintain and create jobs in the local timber industry.
- Geographically disperses timber production on the O&C Trust lands and mandates long and short timber rotation ages to meet the needs and capabilities of mills throughout western Oregon.
Brings Financial Stability to Rural Oregon Counties
- Provides forested counties in western Oregon with a sustainable and more predictable level of revenues in perpetuity to support essential county services like law enforcement, healthcare, schools, and transportation.
- Reduce counties’ dependence on uncertain federal support payments in favor of a long-term solution that allows them to return to the tradition of self-reliance that embodies the best traditions of our state.
Protects Oregon Treasures
- Protects 90,000 acres of Oregon forests as wilderness and adds 150 miles of Oregon rivers to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
- Transfer more than 1 million acres of mature and old growth forests from the Bureau of Land Management to the Forest Service and provides the first ever legislative protection for old growth on O&C Lands.
-Maintains federal ownership of the land and details strict management guidelines for Trust lands to ensure sustained yield and to protect clean water and terrestrial and aquatic values.
O&C Trust, Conservation, and Jobs Act Bill Text
O&C Trust, Conservation, and Jobs Act Section-by-Section
O&C Trust, Conservation, and Jobs Act Myths/Facts
O&C Trust, Conservation, and Jobs Act: Certainty for Counties One-Pager
O&C Trust, Conservation, and Jobs Act: Sustainable Forest Management One-Pager
O&C Trust, Conservation, and Jobs Act: Conservation Victories One-Pager
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Jobs vs. environment at Oregon legislature as timber and water bills get pushed upstream
Published: Tuesday, February 14, 2012, 6:57 PM Updated: Tuesday, February 14, 2012, 7:45 PM
A pair of bills that occupy the jobs vs. environment mosh pit this legislative session got early hearings Tuesday, with both sides bringing big hopes and dire projections to the match. "We are here in Oregon and have the ability to do something very simple to put about 2,000 people back to work," said Rep. Andy Olson, R-Albany, the bill's chief sponsor.
House Bill 4098 would set the logging level in state forests at a fixed percent of how much timber grows each year, waiving the Oregon Department of Forestry's current rules. House Bill 4101 requires the state to "aggressively pursue" drawing more agricultural irrigation water from the Columbia River.
Republicans in the Legislature have made the two bills a priority, saying they would generate jobs and increase state revenue. The Oregon Conservation Network, a coalition of more than 50 environmental groups, labels the bills a "major threat." Most Democrats in the Legislature lean to the conservation groups' point of view, but the slow pace of economic recovery has a way of changing votes.
FORESTS:
The timber bill springs from frustration over the continued deadlock in federal forests, which make up 60 percent of Oregon's timberland but provide only 12 percent of the harvest. State forests, though only 4 percent of the land, provide 10 percent of the annual harvest. Rather than wait for a solution on federal land, advocates say the state should increase the flow of logs to mills, retain jobs and support rural communities. Industry, rural officials and union leaders back the bill. 2012 Legislature
The bill would set timber harvests at an unsustainable level, said Ivan Maluski of the Sierra Club. "It's characterized as a major jobs bill, but to us it looks more like an ideological bill," he said.
Gov. John Kitzhaber, who has called for increased logging on federal land and an end to "management by paralysis," said mandating timber production on state land might make things worse. Testifying Tuesday before the House agriculture and natural resources committee, the governor said the bill rejects the department's long-held practice of managing forests for the "greatest permanent value." He said collaboration and reversing the imbalance on federal land is key.
State forests produce about 210 million board feet of timber annually. Forestry Department Deputy Chief Mike Cafferata estimated the bill would increase annual harvest to 280 million to 290 million board feet.
State Forester Doug Decker, under sharp questioning from Rep. Mike Schaufler, D-Happy Valley, said the harvest increase could be implemented without violating the Oregon Forest Practices Act.
The committee approved the bill and sent it the House ways and means committee for further action.
WATER:
The Columbia River irrigation bill aims to create about 1,400 jobs by providing more water for farmers. It calls for 100,000 extra acre-feet a year, which supporters said is enough to irrigate 30,000 acres of dry agricultural land. 
Farmers of irrigated crops, including alfalfa, potatoes and corn, in arid northeastern Oregon worry about water. Groundwater use is restricted in parts of Umatilla and Morrow counties, with predictions of even tighter summer supplies if global warming proceeds as projected.
The conflict comes because the Columbia basin's salmon and steelhead, including runs listed under the Endangered Species Act, need water, too, particularly during the warm, dry summer growing season when young fish migrate to the ocean. Concerns about fish have limited new water withdrawals for years.
On Tuesday, the House Energy, Environment and Water Committee amended the bill to knock down withdrawals from the 450,000 acre-feet a year originally proposed. The amendment also leaves it up to Oregon's Water Resources Department to hash out details, instead of a task force that salmon and river advocates criticized as stacked against them.
But the changes didn't eliminate criticism.
John DeVoe, executive director of WaterWatch of Oregon, noted the amendment adds the new withdrawals on top of total withdrawals in 2011, a wet year. That would put the state in a bind during dry years, he said.
The bill also calls for examination of "new mitigation options" when additional river water is diverted. Opponents see that as code for something short of Oregon's policy of fully replacing any new water taken from the mainstem Columbia from April 15 to Sept. 30.
Rep. Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte, the bill's chief sponsor, told the committee his intent is to boost winter storage, either above or below ground, for later use, not to tap spring or summer flows. Supporters range from farmers to business groups.
About 33 million acre feet a year are diverted from rivers in the huge Columbia basin, with Idaho taking nearly 60 percent, the Water Resources Department estimates. Oregon diverts about 5 million acre feet. The bill would require a minimum 100,000 acre-feet increase for irrigation by the end of 2018.
Some committee Democrats said they could support the bill if language is added to limit new drawdowns solely to winter flows. The committee voted to refer the bill the House Rules Committee for further debate.
"It's not over yet," said Rep. Deborah Boone, D-Cannon Beach. "I think we can get this done."
TIMBER, WATER JOBS BILLS MOVE FORWARD
SALEM—House Republicans today worked to advance two bipartisan bills to create jobs by enhancing Oregon’s water resources and putting Oregonians back to work in state forests. The two measures were forwarded by their respective natural resources committees and will receive further consideration this session.
Rep. Andy Olson (R-Albany) testified to the House Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee on HB 4098 to increase sustainable harvesting in state forests. The bill was unanimously approved by the committee and sent to the Joint Ways and Means Committee for further consideration.
Under current law, the state only permits harvests on less than 70 percent of what’s allowable under the Forest Practices Act. By directing the state to increase harvest levels on state forests to 85 percent of harvestable timber, Rep. Olson says HB 4098 can create jobs and generate new revenue for cash-strapped local governments.
“Oregon’s most abundant resource, timber, is being underutilized and this lack of productivity has hurt Oregon’s economy and our rural communities,” Rep. Olson said. “This solution would provide a reliable supply of timber and create real living wage jobs in communities across the state. It will also increase the tax revenue for counties and cities, and help support funding for education.”
Rep. Mike McLane (R-Powell Butte) testified to the House Energy, Environment and Water Committee on HB 4101 to promote storage of Columbia River Basin winter flows. Without recommendation, the committee directed the bill to the House Rules Committee for further consideration this session.
Through an amendment to HB 4101, Rep. McLane’s bill will promote the development of new statewide storage supplies from winter flows, including a minimum of 100,000 acre-feet of water from the Columbia River for agricultural uses by 2018.
Over the past 20 years Washington State has developed 48,000 acres of irrigated farmland while Oregon has developed just 10,500 acres. By increasing Oregon’s utilization of Columbia River winter water flows, Rep. McLane says the state can boost the state’s agricultural industry, create new direct food and farm processing jobs, and support Eastern Oregon’s economy.
“By storing water during winter flows, Oregon can sustainably increase the amount of acreage used for agricultural production, while maintaining sufficient flows in the Columbia River,” Rep. McLane said. “This increase in agricultural production will result in new jobs and economic activity for our citizens.”
Leveraging Oregon’s abundant water resources and putting Oregonians back to work in state forests are part of the House Republicans’ ‘50,000 Jobs in Five Years’ agenda.
CORRECTION: House Energy, Environment and Water Committee referred HB 4101 to House Rules Committee without recommendation.
OREGON HOUSE REPUBLICANS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Nick Smith
February 14, 2012
503-986-1351
Rep. Andy Olson (R-Albany) testified to the House Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee on HB 4098 to increase sustainable harvesting in state forests. The bill was unanimously approved by the committee and sent to the Joint Ways and Means Committee for further consideration.
Under current law, the state only permits harvests on less than 70 percent of what’s allowable under the Forest Practices Act. By directing the state to increase harvest levels on state forests to 85 percent of harvestable timber, Rep. Olson says HB 4098 can create jobs and generate new revenue for cash-strapped local governments.
“Oregon’s most abundant resource, timber, is being underutilized and this lack of productivity has hurt Oregon’s economy and our rural communities,” Rep. Olson said. “This solution would provide a reliable supply of timber and create real living wage jobs in communities across the state. It will also increase the tax revenue for counties and cities, and help support funding for education.”
Rep. Mike McLane (R-Powell Butte) testified to the House Energy, Environment and Water Committee on HB 4101 to promote storage of Columbia River Basin winter flows. Without recommendation, the committee directed the bill to the House Rules Committee for further consideration this session.
Through an amendment to HB 4101, Rep. McLane’s bill will promote the development of new statewide storage supplies from winter flows, including a minimum of 100,000 acre-feet of water from the Columbia River for agricultural uses by 2018.
Over the past 20 years Washington State has developed 48,000 acres of irrigated farmland while Oregon has developed just 10,500 acres. By increasing Oregon’s utilization of Columbia River winter water flows, Rep. McLane says the state can boost the state’s agricultural industry, create new direct food and farm processing jobs, and support Eastern Oregon’s economy.
“By storing water during winter flows, Oregon can sustainably increase the amount of acreage used for agricultural production, while maintaining sufficient flows in the Columbia River,” Rep. McLane said. “This increase in agricultural production will result in new jobs and economic activity for our citizens.”
Leveraging Oregon’s abundant water resources and putting Oregonians back to work in state forests are part of the House Republicans’ ‘50,000 Jobs in Five Years’ agenda.
CORRECTION: House Energy, Environment and Water Committee referred HB 4101 to House Rules Committee without recommendation.
OREGON HOUSE REPUBLICANS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Nick Smith
February 14, 2012
503-986-1351
Three New Board of Forestry Members
Capitol Press
Posted: Monday, February 13, 2012 1:58 PM
Forestry board appointees confirmed
SALEM -- By a 19-11 vote, the Oregon Senate has approved the appointment of fisheries scientist Cindy Williams to the Oregon Board of Forestry.
The confirmation came despite objections from several natural resources organizations.
Williams, a private consultant, formerly worked for environmental organizations.
The Senate confirmed Tom Insko and Nils Christoffersen to the board by unanimous votes.
Insko is inland region manager for Boise Cascade. Christoffersen is executive director of Wallowa Resources, a nonprofit that works to restore forest health and create job opportunities.
The three replace Peter Hayes, Calvin Mukumoto and Jennifer Phillipi on the seven-member board.
Phillippi served two terms. Hayes and Mukumoto completed their first term on Sept. 30, 2011.
Hayes was available for reappointment to a second term, according to reports, but Kitzhaber chose to go a different direction, according to Richard Whitman, Kitzhaber's natural resources policy advisor.
"There was some significant opposition to Peter," Whitman said. "We tried to bring a slate of nominees that would draw a broader consensus of support, and we feel this slate does that."
Whitman said the three new board members bring a strong eastside perspective to the board, as well as a scientific perspective.
In an interview Feb. 10, Williams acknowledged she has worked for conservation groups. But, she said, she also has consulted for irrigation districts.
"I've done work under contract on all sides of the issues," she said.
"I feel like I have developed the ability to hear everybody's concerns," she said.
Asked by Sen. Lee Beyer, D-Springfield, her philosophy about logging, she said: "It is one of many uses we can get from a healthy forest, and it certainly is a legitimate purpose of forestland."
In a floor speech Feb. 13, Beyer said the appointees had backing from the Oregon Forest Industries Council and the Oregon Small Woodland Association.
Three days earlier, OSWA signed onto a letter sent to the Senate Rules Committee that opposed Williams' appointment. The letter also was signed by the Oregon Farm Bureau, Oregon Cattlemen's Association, the Association of Oregon Loggers and Oregonians for Food and Shelter.
(Thanks to Ann Forest Burns)
Posted: Monday, February 13, 2012 1:58 PM
Forestry board appointees confirmed
SALEM -- By a 19-11 vote, the Oregon Senate has approved the appointment of fisheries scientist Cindy Williams to the Oregon Board of Forestry.
The confirmation came despite objections from several natural resources organizations.
Williams, a private consultant, formerly worked for environmental organizations.
The Senate confirmed Tom Insko and Nils Christoffersen to the board by unanimous votes.
Insko is inland region manager for Boise Cascade. Christoffersen is executive director of Wallowa Resources, a nonprofit that works to restore forest health and create job opportunities.
The three replace Peter Hayes, Calvin Mukumoto and Jennifer Phillipi on the seven-member board.
Phillippi served two terms. Hayes and Mukumoto completed their first term on Sept. 30, 2011.
Hayes was available for reappointment to a second term, according to reports, but Kitzhaber chose to go a different direction, according to Richard Whitman, Kitzhaber's natural resources policy advisor.
"There was some significant opposition to Peter," Whitman said. "We tried to bring a slate of nominees that would draw a broader consensus of support, and we feel this slate does that."
Whitman said the three new board members bring a strong eastside perspective to the board, as well as a scientific perspective.
In an interview Feb. 10, Williams acknowledged she has worked for conservation groups. But, she said, she also has consulted for irrigation districts.
"I've done work under contract on all sides of the issues," she said.
"I feel like I have developed the ability to hear everybody's concerns," she said.
Asked by Sen. Lee Beyer, D-Springfield, her philosophy about logging, she said: "It is one of many uses we can get from a healthy forest, and it certainly is a legitimate purpose of forestland."
In a floor speech Feb. 13, Beyer said the appointees had backing from the Oregon Forest Industries Council and the Oregon Small Woodland Association.
Three days earlier, OSWA signed onto a letter sent to the Senate Rules Committee that opposed Williams' appointment. The letter also was signed by the Oregon Farm Bureau, Oregon Cattlemen's Association, the Association of Oregon Loggers and Oregonians for Food and Shelter.
(Thanks to Ann Forest Burns)
Sunday, February 5, 2012
At the cutting edge of logging, Medford Mail Tribune
New approach could keep industry, environmentalists from being at loggerheads
Jesse Miller unhooks chokers while logging at an operation in the Applegate Valley Thursday. Mail Tribune Photo / Jamie Lusch
Never let it be said of Ed Hanscom that you can't teach an old dog new tricks.
Hanscom is a young 66, kept fit by having worked in the Oregon woods for more than 40 years. Starting out as a small-scale salvage operator with little more than a self-loading log truck, his work has evolved into large-scale contracts and computerized machines that gobble up logs with ease.
"I like to take on challenges, much to the chagrin of some of my employees," said Hanscom, a 1971 graduate of Oregon State University who majored in forestry.
"They think I should go find high volume per acre on flatter ground — no brush and on and on," he added, describing a choker setter's idea of heaven on Earth. "They'll snivel about this, then bail out over the bank and get 'er done."
While he may joke about his hard-working crew, the second-generation logger from Eagle Point is deadly serious about successfully taking on the new forest-restoration approach to logging that's now under way in a pilot project on U.S. Bureau of Land Management timberland in the Applegate Valley.
"My goal out here is to figure out how to do a good job with this so we can continue to pick up the timber program in this area," he said as he stood on a log landing on the northwest flank of Tallowbox Mountain. "You've got huge amounts of land out here that is in pretty bad shape."
He was referring to regional forests that many in the forest debate agree are unnaturally overgrown because of wildfire suppression over the past century.
"I am optimistic there is a future for this type of logging — I do think it could be a breakthrough," Hanscom said.
Spearheaded by forest scientists Norm Johnson and Jerry Franklin, the logging method being applied on the 1.5-million-board-foot Pilot Joe sale calls for leaving the large legacy trees, heretofore prized by loggers because bigger trees produce more board feet of lumber and, thus, bigger bucks.
The pilot project is in the 80,000-acre, middle Applegate River watershed, of which 50,000 acres is on the BLM's Medford District. Pilot Joe is the first sale for the project since it was proposed in 2010.
In addition to preserving the largest trees and improving forest health, the project aims to reduce the chance of a catastrophic wildfire while producing jobs for loggers and wood for local mills.
It is one of three such projects in Oregon that could change the way timber is managed on federal forestland in the West. The others are on BLM land in Douglas and Coos counties. Franklin and Johnson are heading up those demonstration projects also.
The Pilot Joe sale, one of several timber sales envisioned for the Applegate project in the coming years, is the first to produce timber. Covering about 260 acres, it was sold last fall for $230,606 to Boise Cascade Wood Products.
Eagle Point-based HM Inc., a logging firm owned by Hanscom and his wife of 46 years, Susan, has been contracted by Boise to do the logging, which requires cable systems.
"We are getting some pretty nice wood out here," said Hanscom, as three chokers attached to the hook on a skyline cable dragged logs to the landing. "This area was really thick with those 16- to 18-inch poles that we've removed."
The large standing trees below him are marked with yellow paint, indicating they are to be left. The logging corridor that stretches some 1,600 feet down the mountainside skirts what are called "skips" — patches of trees, including hardwoods and large conifers, that are being left untouched.
"With those skips, it takes a lot more time when we are laying out our logging corridors," Hanscom said. "What makes it difficult is that some of the corridors have irregular-shaped boundaries because of the stay-out areas. But we have managed to stay out of them."
One of the main differences from past logging practices is what they are leaving behind, he said. All of the trees slated for cutting are younger than 50 years old, and most are 16 inches or smaller in diameter at chest height, according to the BLM.
"They want to save the big, old-growth pine, the big, old-growth fir and the big, old-growth hardwoods," Hanscom said. "But, other than changing the types of trees we are cutting, it isn't that much different."
As for his eight employees working the sale, they are equally interested in making it work, he said.
"They can do most anything if given the chance," he said. "And they are happy to be working."
He stopped for a moment to ponder the profession he chose as a young man.
"We just hired two young people who want to do this work," he said. "They aren't here because they didn't have another choice. They are here because they want to be.
"That's the kind of people we need. There is a lot of personal freedom, but it can be miserable, hard damn work. You have to really love being outside to do this."
Milton "Punky" Miller, who was chasing on the landing, racing in to unhook the chokers when a turn of logs was brought to the landing, likely would agree with his assessment.
Miller, 56, of Prospect, has been a logger for 37 years.
Like Hanscom, who isn't shy about taking federal land management agencies and environmental activists to task, Miller defends the logging industry.
"What we planted when I first started in the woods we are now harvesting," Miller said. "I'm proud of that. It's a good feeling."
Miller described himself as a "floater," meaning he does whatever job is required of him. His main job is a mechanic, he noted.
Nearby, his son, Jesse Miller, 30, operates the computerized processor that makes short work of bucking and "limbing" the logs when they are hauled to the landing by yarder operator Jack Higgins.
"Jesse's grandpa was a logger," Milton Miller said. "His old man is a logger. Now he is a logger."
Despite the dangerous nature of the work, there have been no major injuries in the family, he said.
"Just bumps and bruises and broken bones but nothing serious," he said.
They aren't the only father-and-son on the crew. Veteran hook tender Jeff Jacobs and his adult son, Gage Jacobs, who is pulling rigging, are working "down in the hole" far below.
"He is as tough as a rat sandwich," Miller said of Jeff Jacobs, pointing him out as he scrambled among the downed logs.
The senior Miller figures the new approach is a method that could provide a solution to the forest gridlock between the industry and the environmental community.
"I think this is a good way — there is a lot less waste," Miller said. "It's definitely worth trying."
Hanscom, noting that "Jeff is in charge here when I'm not around causing chaos," said the daily operating cost for the crew and equipment is about $4,100.
"With this system, we're putting a little more work into it, but it is going to work out financially for us," Hanscom said. "You can make it work economically. It'll work out."
His firm has three pieces of heavy equipment on the landing, including a Madil yarder, the computerized processer and a log loader. He estimated it would cost $770,000 to replace the yarder and more than a half-million dollars to get another processer.
"The loader would be a bargain, about $350,000 new," he said.
The point, he stressed, is that he and others are committed to making the forest-restoration approach work.
"Everybody has to be willing to make changes," he said. "As an individual, I can do that."
But he believes both the government and the environmental community needs to be more flexible and forthright.
"They need to be willing to make some changes, too," he said. "The BLM has to start managing its land. They need to figure out how to put up timber sales that are economically feasible to work and pacify the environmental community."
But he was quick to observe there were some conflicts that needed to be resolved.
"The agency and society is going to have to get back to accepting risks like I do every day," he said. "The management out here — like with the roads — is zero tolerant. They will not take any risks at all. And that doesn't work out here.
"Our employees take risks every time they crawl over the bank. You need the environmental community and the BLM to assume some risks. Collaboration is a good thing, but we're getting a little carried away with it. Somebody has to stop at some point and do something."
Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 541-776-4496 or email him at pfattig@mailtribune.com.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Model of bipartisanship: Plan to rescue O&C counties all about jobs
The OregonianBy Doug Robertson and Tony Hyde
With their proposed O&C Trust, Conservation and Jobs Act, Democratic Reps. Peter DeFazio, Kurt Schrader and Republican Greg Walden prove that bipartisanship is alive and well, at least in Oregon. Federal forest management has been paralyzed for 20 years, but Walden, DeFazio and Schrader propose to break the gridlock in western Oregon, rescuing county finances and creating thousands of jobs. The Association of O&C Counties applauds the hard work and leadership of these three congressmen. They provide a model of statesmanship for all our elected officials to follow.
Timber receipts from the historic O&C lands once funded 18 counties in western Oregon. When changes in federal policies brought harvests to a screeching halt in the early 1990s, there followed a series of "safety net" payments from Congress that were supposed to be a temporary bridge until harvests could resume to more reasonable levels. We remain at about 10 percent of historic harvests, and time has proved that reasonable harvest levels are impossible without legislative corrections. And, the national Treasury is empty -- the last safety net checks have been written. Schrader, DeFazio and Walden propose a legislative solution that will allow harvests sufficient to fund county services at reasonable levels, even though harvests would remain well below levels of the late 1980s.
The proposal is not just about harvesting; it is also about saving and conserving -- old growth and the environment, as well as jobs and our communities. The proposal includes historic conservation measures, including: (1) preservation of all old-growth timber on more than 1 million acres of federal land; (2) creation or expansion of three wilderness areas totaling more than 90,000 acres; and (3) addition of more than 150 miles of stream corridors to protections under Wild and Scenic Rivers legislation. The portion of the land made available for sustained-yield timber production would be limited primarily to those stands previously harvested and now dominated by the youngest classes of timber. One-half of that harvestable acreage would have to be managed so the timber would be 100-120 years old before harvest -- more than double the normal commercial harvest age -- providing an additional half-million acres of habitat for wildlife that prefers older timber, on top of all the protected stands of old growth. The Clean Water Act and other environmental laws would apply, with management by a board of trustees appointed by the governor.
On the economic side of the ledger, results would be just as impressive. Instead of mills closing and being torn down, as has been occurring for two decades, mill owners would have assurances of a sufficiently stable timber supply to justify investments in new plants and equipment. Export of logs would be prohibited, assuring the timber supply would stay right here at home as raw material to support manufacturing and other jobs. Small businesses, the engines of job growth, would receive guaranteed access to a portion of the supply. Economists predict as many as 12,000 new jobs, not counting additional thousands of contract jobs in the woods, and not counting thousands more jobs in county government saved by the revenues that would continue to be available to pay for county services, even though the federal safety net has come to an end. Those jobs would jump-start a revival of local economies perennially plagued by rampant unemployment.
County governments are teetering on the brink of economic disaster. Unless dramatic steps are taken soon, county finances will start to topple like dominos, first Curry County and, eventually, Lane, Klamath, Josephine, Coos, Douglas and others. Some counties you might not expect will be very seriously hurt -- Polk and Columbia counties, for example, depend on O&C monies for large parts of budgets that fund public safety and other essential services. And if the counties' finances fold, the state of Oregon will have to pick up the tab to avoid chaos, and that burden on the state will be at the expense of every program and every citizen, statewide.
We all have a stake in the success of the proposal championed by DeFazio, Walden and Schrader. The 11-member board of directors of the Association of O&C Counties unanimously supports the proposal and asks all Oregonians to do the same.
Doug Robertson, a Douglas County commissioner, is president of the Association of O&C Counties. Tony Hyde, a Columbia County commissioner, is vice president.
With their proposed O&C Trust, Conservation and Jobs Act, Democratic Reps. Peter DeFazio, Kurt Schrader and Republican Greg Walden prove that bipartisanship is alive and well, at least in Oregon. Federal forest management has been paralyzed for 20 years, but Walden, DeFazio and Schrader propose to break the gridlock in western Oregon, rescuing county finances and creating thousands of jobs. The Association of O&C Counties applauds the hard work and leadership of these three congressmen. They provide a model of statesmanship for all our elected officials to follow.
Timber receipts from the historic O&C lands once funded 18 counties in western Oregon. When changes in federal policies brought harvests to a screeching halt in the early 1990s, there followed a series of "safety net" payments from Congress that were supposed to be a temporary bridge until harvests could resume to more reasonable levels. We remain at about 10 percent of historic harvests, and time has proved that reasonable harvest levels are impossible without legislative corrections. And, the national Treasury is empty -- the last safety net checks have been written. Schrader, DeFazio and Walden propose a legislative solution that will allow harvests sufficient to fund county services at reasonable levels, even though harvests would remain well below levels of the late 1980s.
The proposal is not just about harvesting; it is also about saving and conserving -- old growth and the environment, as well as jobs and our communities. The proposal includes historic conservation measures, including: (1) preservation of all old-growth timber on more than 1 million acres of federal land; (2) creation or expansion of three wilderness areas totaling more than 90,000 acres; and (3) addition of more than 150 miles of stream corridors to protections under Wild and Scenic Rivers legislation. The portion of the land made available for sustained-yield timber production would be limited primarily to those stands previously harvested and now dominated by the youngest classes of timber. One-half of that harvestable acreage would have to be managed so the timber would be 100-120 years old before harvest -- more than double the normal commercial harvest age -- providing an additional half-million acres of habitat for wildlife that prefers older timber, on top of all the protected stands of old growth. The Clean Water Act and other environmental laws would apply, with management by a board of trustees appointed by the governor.
On the economic side of the ledger, results would be just as impressive. Instead of mills closing and being torn down, as has been occurring for two decades, mill owners would have assurances of a sufficiently stable timber supply to justify investments in new plants and equipment. Export of logs would be prohibited, assuring the timber supply would stay right here at home as raw material to support manufacturing and other jobs. Small businesses, the engines of job growth, would receive guaranteed access to a portion of the supply. Economists predict as many as 12,000 new jobs, not counting additional thousands of contract jobs in the woods, and not counting thousands more jobs in county government saved by the revenues that would continue to be available to pay for county services, even though the federal safety net has come to an end. Those jobs would jump-start a revival of local economies perennially plagued by rampant unemployment.
County governments are teetering on the brink of economic disaster. Unless dramatic steps are taken soon, county finances will start to topple like dominos, first Curry County and, eventually, Lane, Klamath, Josephine, Coos, Douglas and others. Some counties you might not expect will be very seriously hurt -- Polk and Columbia counties, for example, depend on O&C monies for large parts of budgets that fund public safety and other essential services. And if the counties' finances fold, the state of Oregon will have to pick up the tab to avoid chaos, and that burden on the state will be at the expense of every program and every citizen, statewide.
We all have a stake in the success of the proposal championed by DeFazio, Walden and Schrader. The 11-member board of directors of the Association of O&C Counties unanimously supports the proposal and asks all Oregonians to do the same.
Doug Robertson, a Douglas County commissioner, is president of the Association of O&C Counties. Tony Hyde, a Columbia County commissioner, is vice president.
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