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ENLARGE
Salvage decision: From left, Roseburg Forest Products employees Dick Beeby, Don Persyn and Dan Newton look over salvageable trees in the hills above Ferguson Lane in Days Creek. RFP lost approximately 747 acres of trees valued near $1,000 per acre.
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ENLARGE
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Damaged tree
Stress cracks form inside a tree that has been cut and is drying out. For Roseburg Forest Products trees damaged in the Bland Mountain Fire, salvaging will depend on getting to the timber before the cracks form from the outside in. RFP is looking at salvaging what they can from the approximately 747 acres of trees lost.
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DAYS CREEK -- Replanted tree stands had nearly covered old scars when the second Bland Mountain Fire hit.
Much of the 4,705 acres that burned last week fell on Bureau of Land Management and Roseburg Forest Products land. Both lost hundreds of acres of trees planted after the first fire scorched through the area on a similar path in 1987.
"There is virtually no salvage opportunity for the trees that burned," said Dick Beeby, chief forester on RFP's 200,000-acre Umpqua district.
Douglas County residents remember the first Bland Mountain blaze as one of the most devastating of recent times, burning more than 10,000 acres, 14 homes and taking two lives. Though the second fire was less destructive, burning two unoccupied residences and three outbuildings, public and private landowners now have to start over.
Beeby visited the 747 burned acres of the Dillard-based company's property Tuesday.
Overlooking the burn from above Ferguson Lane, dead trees cover the neighboring ridges like a five o'clock shadow.
The bright yellow jackets of firefighters occasionally appeared through the trees as crews dug out any remaining burning roots and worked on other mop-up duties.
About 100 firefighters will remain throughout the week, said Tom Fields, spokesman for the Douglas Forest Protective Association. DFPA personnel will continue to monitor the area through the rest of fire season.
Beeby examined a 15-acre patch of older trees, some green, some toasted to a reddish brown and some blackened skeletons. He said the company will be able to sell some approximately 50-year-old trees from the patch, which the 1987 fire avoided.
Much of the 4,705 acres that burned last week fell on Bureau of Land Management and Roseburg Forest Products land. Both lost hundreds of acres of trees planted after the first fire scorched through the area on a similar path in 1987.
"There is virtually no salvage opportunity for the trees that burned," said Dick Beeby, chief forester on RFP's 200,000-acre Umpqua district.
Douglas County residents remember the first Bland Mountain blaze as one of the most devastating of recent times, burning more than 10,000 acres, 14 homes and taking two lives. Though the second fire was less destructive, burning two unoccupied residences and three outbuildings, public and private landowners now have to start over.
Beeby visited the 747 burned acres of the Dillard-based company's property Tuesday.
Overlooking the burn from above Ferguson Lane, dead trees cover the neighboring ridges like a five o'clock shadow.
The bright yellow jackets of firefighters occasionally appeared through the trees as crews dug out any remaining burning roots and worked on other mop-up duties.
About 100 firefighters will remain throughout the week, said Tom Fields, spokesman for the Douglas Forest Protective Association. DFPA personnel will continue to monitor the area through the rest of fire season.
Beeby examined a 15-acre patch of older trees, some green, some toasted to a reddish brown and some blackened skeletons. He said the company will be able to sell some approximately 50-year-old trees from the patch, which the 1987 fire avoided.
"We're trying to figure out what merchantable timber can be salvaged, the extent of the burn, what we can do," he said.
Of the RFP acres that burned, Beeby guesses about 150 acres contain salvageable trees. The company will have to replant on the remaining acres -- valued near $1,000 per acre.
When the fire hit Aug. 20, Roseburg Forest Products personnel responded immediately.
"When I got the call Friday night, I look out the window and I was like, oh no," said Dan Newton, timberlands manager for RFP. He could see the smoke from his Roseburg home.
He and several others drove out to the fire Friday evening, but there was little they could do. Several employees were pulled from other jobs, and RFP personnel were ready to go for the first 5 a.m. fire briefing the morning of Aug. 21.
"We just stop everything and we go," said Eric Geyer, a forester with RFP. "We put a tremendous amount of effort into holding that fire."
Loggers and others who work in the woods are required to attend a half-day firefighting refresher course every year and are equipped to work on the fire lines.
Of the RFP acres that burned, Beeby guesses about 150 acres contain salvageable trees. The company will have to replant on the remaining acres -- valued near $1,000 per acre.
When the fire hit Aug. 20, Roseburg Forest Products personnel responded immediately.
"When I got the call Friday night, I look out the window and I was like, oh no," said Dan Newton, timberlands manager for RFP. He could see the smoke from his Roseburg home.
He and several others drove out to the fire Friday evening, but there was little they could do. Several employees were pulled from other jobs, and RFP personnel were ready to go for the first 5 a.m. fire briefing the morning of Aug. 21.
"We just stop everything and we go," said Eric Geyer, a forester with RFP. "We put a tremendous amount of effort into holding that fire."
Loggers and others who work in the woods are required to attend a half-day firefighting refresher course every year and are equipped to work on the fire lines.
At a Glance
<b>Total acres burned:</b> 4,705
<b>Roseburg Forest Products:</b> 747 acres burned, 575,000 trees to replant <b>Bureau of Land Management:</b> 1,767 acres burned <b>Small private landowners:</b> 2,191 acres burned |
After containment, the company's first task will be to re-establish the property lines between RFP and BLM lands and repair roads before winter rains. They'll have some 575,000 Douglas fir seedlings to plant this winter.
"One of best things we can do for the forest is to get it replanted as quickly as possible," Newton said.
If the company was to wait a year, seedlings would have to compete with grass and underbrush, he said.
A BLM team was also at the scene Tuesday, examining the most severe of their 1,767 acres that burned. They, too, will try and replant this winter. The remaining 2,191 acres burned through the property of smaller landowners.
The last time Beeby remembers such a catastrophic fire on RFP property was in 1987, when the first Bland Mountain Fire occurred in early summer, and a lightning storm started several additional fires later in the season.
"We have an excellent system," he said. "The vast majority of fires are caught while they're very small. ... Occasionally one gets away."
Fields said a combination of the landscape and windy weather amplified the effects of the fire early on.
"The wind got it and then it got in a canyon, which is horrendous. Any canyon acts like a chimney," he said. "We hit it very hard with helicopters and retardant that first evening right away. But sometimes Mother Nature's work isn't very cooperative. ... We're thankful for the rain that came."
* You can reach reporter Diane Huber at 957-4218 or by e-mail at dhuber@newsreview.info.
"One of best things we can do for the forest is to get it replanted as quickly as possible," Newton said.
If the company was to wait a year, seedlings would have to compete with grass and underbrush, he said.
A BLM team was also at the scene Tuesday, examining the most severe of their 1,767 acres that burned. They, too, will try and replant this winter. The remaining 2,191 acres burned through the property of smaller landowners.
The last time Beeby remembers such a catastrophic fire on RFP property was in 1987, when the first Bland Mountain Fire occurred in early summer, and a lightning storm started several additional fires later in the season.
"We have an excellent system," he said. "The vast majority of fires are caught while they're very small. ... Occasionally one gets away."
Fields said a combination of the landscape and windy weather amplified the effects of the fire early on.
"The wind got it and then it got in a canyon, which is horrendous. Any canyon acts like a chimney," he said. "We hit it very hard with helicopters and retardant that first evening right away. But sometimes Mother Nature's work isn't very cooperative. ... We're thankful for the rain that came."
* You can reach reporter Diane Huber at 957-4218 or by e-mail at dhuber@newsreview.info.
