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The U.S. Forest Service announced plans Tuesday evening to harvest 1,200 acres of burned timber stands in the area hit by last summer's Apple Fire, 21 miles east of Glide.
The harvest within the Panther Creek subwatershed, to be split up among five or six sales, should yield about 5 million board feet of lumber, Debbie Anderson, an interdisciplinary team leader for the Umpqua National Forest, told an audience of about 35 people at the Douglas County Library.
Anderson's team originally looked at about 2,500 acres of forest land thought to be suitable for logging operations. More than half of the acreage was removed from consideration, however, after biologists removed riparian zones next to streams from consideration, along with areas containing fragile soils.
The Umpqua National Forest will submit its plan for what it calls the "Baked Apple" sale to the Federal Register within the next few days. That will set off a scoping period which will include additional public meetings, release of a draft environmental impact statement, a period for public comment and printing of a final plan. The draft environmental impact statement is expected by July, with the final plan ready by October, Anderson said. Actual harvests are not likely to take place before next year.
An open house to reveal plans for logging burned areas in the Tiller Ranger District, also hit hard by fires last summer, will be held Friday from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the library at Days Creek School, 11381 Tiller Trail Highway.
Plans call for using helicopters and skyline yarding -- a logging technique in which logs are lifted off the ground and brought out using a series of cables set up overhead -- to remove much of the salvage timber.
North Umpqua District Ranger Carol Cushing, who called the salvage plan "sensible and responsible," said she tried to balance economic and environmental considerations. The overhead logging techniques are the best for the environment, she said.
"The proposed action is reasonable and meets all the requirements of the Northwest Forest Plan," Cushing said.
No harvesting of trees will take place along "visually sensitive" areas along Highway 138, within the wild and scenic portion of the North Umpqua River or within northern spotted owl corridors, Anderson said.
Within the proposed harvest areas, between six and 12 trees per acre will be left to provide shade and to enrich the soil over time as the trees decay. The Forest Service will also establish 51 test plots to gauge overall forest health and to view changes over the next several years.
No harvests of live trees will take place, Anderson said. The salvage work will also involve reseeding of logged areas, cutting down of standing stems and burning slash.
Crews will also work to reconstruct more than 14 miles along two major roads through the burn zone, Forest Service Roads 4720 and 4720-005. Besides repairing the roads themselves, undersized culverts will be replaced, slopes stabilized and drain dips constructed.
Francis Eatherington, a forest monitor for Umpqua Watersheds, said she was glad the Forest Service looked carefully at the effects logging could have on tracts that contain sensitive soils and limited tree removal to more stable areas.
She rejected calls from some critics who have told the Forest Service in written comments that the planning process should be speeded up and the timber removed as quickly as possible. Any logs that begin breaking down will provide valuable nutrients to the soil and provide habitat and other uses for wildlife, she said.
"Some wood might decay but that doesn't mean you're losing its value," Eatherington said.
Paul Beck, a timber manager for Herbert Lumber Co. in Riddle, said the planning process for sales such as this is too cumbersome. He said he admires the Forest Service for its thoroughness in gauging the environmental impact of the logging, but he fears lawsuits from opponents could tie up the harvest for a long time.
"The process could be a lot simpler," Beck said. "The goal is restoration and to provide economic benefit and jobs for this area."
Jon Hjort, a Sutherlin resident who attended the meeting with his wife, Rhonda, said he would like to see the salvage operations take place as soon as possible.
Hjort, an avid hunter and fisherman, said he's made hundreds of trips into that portion of the Umpqua National Forest over the years, including five treks since last summer's fire, which burned nearly 18,000 acres. He said it would be a shame if the salvageable logs aren't removed.
"We've got all this wood and what's going to happen if we drag our feet? In three years, it's not going to be worth much," Hjort said.
* You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@newsreview.info.
The harvest within the Panther Creek subwatershed, to be split up among five or six sales, should yield about 5 million board feet of lumber, Debbie Anderson, an interdisciplinary team leader for the Umpqua National Forest, told an audience of about 35 people at the Douglas County Library.
Anderson's team originally looked at about 2,500 acres of forest land thought to be suitable for logging operations. More than half of the acreage was removed from consideration, however, after biologists removed riparian zones next to streams from consideration, along with areas containing fragile soils.
The Umpqua National Forest will submit its plan for what it calls the "Baked Apple" sale to the Federal Register within the next few days. That will set off a scoping period which will include additional public meetings, release of a draft environmental impact statement, a period for public comment and printing of a final plan. The draft environmental impact statement is expected by July, with the final plan ready by October, Anderson said. Actual harvests are not likely to take place before next year.
An open house to reveal plans for logging burned areas in the Tiller Ranger District, also hit hard by fires last summer, will be held Friday from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the library at Days Creek School, 11381 Tiller Trail Highway.
Plans call for using helicopters and skyline yarding -- a logging technique in which logs are lifted off the ground and brought out using a series of cables set up overhead -- to remove much of the salvage timber.
North Umpqua District Ranger Carol Cushing, who called the salvage plan "sensible and responsible," said she tried to balance economic and environmental considerations. The overhead logging techniques are the best for the environment, she said.
"The proposed action is reasonable and meets all the requirements of the Northwest Forest Plan," Cushing said.
No harvesting of trees will take place along "visually sensitive" areas along Highway 138, within the wild and scenic portion of the North Umpqua River or within northern spotted owl corridors, Anderson said.
Within the proposed harvest areas, between six and 12 trees per acre will be left to provide shade and to enrich the soil over time as the trees decay. The Forest Service will also establish 51 test plots to gauge overall forest health and to view changes over the next several years.
No harvests of live trees will take place, Anderson said. The salvage work will also involve reseeding of logged areas, cutting down of standing stems and burning slash.
Crews will also work to reconstruct more than 14 miles along two major roads through the burn zone, Forest Service Roads 4720 and 4720-005. Besides repairing the roads themselves, undersized culverts will be replaced, slopes stabilized and drain dips constructed.
Francis Eatherington, a forest monitor for Umpqua Watersheds, said she was glad the Forest Service looked carefully at the effects logging could have on tracts that contain sensitive soils and limited tree removal to more stable areas.
She rejected calls from some critics who have told the Forest Service in written comments that the planning process should be speeded up and the timber removed as quickly as possible. Any logs that begin breaking down will provide valuable nutrients to the soil and provide habitat and other uses for wildlife, she said.
"Some wood might decay but that doesn't mean you're losing its value," Eatherington said.
Paul Beck, a timber manager for Herbert Lumber Co. in Riddle, said the planning process for sales such as this is too cumbersome. He said he admires the Forest Service for its thoroughness in gauging the environmental impact of the logging, but he fears lawsuits from opponents could tie up the harvest for a long time.
"The process could be a lot simpler," Beck said. "The goal is restoration and to provide economic benefit and jobs for this area."
Jon Hjort, a Sutherlin resident who attended the meeting with his wife, Rhonda, said he would like to see the salvage operations take place as soon as possible.
Hjort, an avid hunter and fisherman, said he's made hundreds of trips into that portion of the Umpqua National Forest over the years, including five treks since last summer's fire, which burned nearly 18,000 acres. He said it would be a shame if the salvageable logs aren't removed.
"We've got all this wood and what's going to happen if we drag our feet? In three years, it's not going to be worth much," Hjort said.
* You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@newsreview.info.
