News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 26 - 32 of 32
Acres of burned forest land are awaiting restoration. photo by Jim Cornelius Local activists, foresters and citizens are taking a close look at the B&B Fire Recovery proposal recently released by Sisters District Ranger Bill Anthony. In a letter mailed in late July to interested individuals and organizations, Anthony invited public involvement to identify issues and concerns with the proposed actions. The plan proposes salvage logging of fire-killed and fire-damaged timber on from 10,000 to 14,000 acres of the total project a... Full story
The Forest Service plans to get started on salvage logging of some of the area burned in 2002 Eyerly Fire before the appeals period runs out. Deschutes Forest Supervisor Leslie Weldon announced Monday, August 2, that she will sign an order allowing the salvage to move forward. That decision has created controversy among opponents of the salvage plan since it is the first time in Central Oregon that the Forest Service has used provisions of the Bush administration's Healthy Forests Act to permit such activity to start during t... Full story
If the B&B Complex and Link fires of 2003 which, together, burned over 95,000 acres had occurred in an isolated region of Oregon with little diversity of trees, few recreational visitors and few rivers and streams, the Forest Service would still have had a tough job to rehabilitate the area. But these fires burned over half of the Metolius Basin watershed, a highly diverse forest in a popular recreational area near one of the fastest growing regions of the west. Now, the Sisters Ranger District is facing enormous challenges w... Full story
After the 92,000-acre B&B Complex and the 3,600-acre Link fires were controlled last year, Sisters District Ranger Bill Anthony and his staff faced a monumental rehabilitation job. These fires, when combined with the 23,573-acre Eyerly Fire and the 3,894-acre Cache Mountain Fire of 2002, had burned about 125,000 acres -- one-fourth of the district. With work just being completed on recovery plans for the 2002 fires, new challenges must now be confronted. Last week Sisters Ranger District publicized proposed actions to... Full story
Dave Clemens watches a crew seal the Sisters Airport runway. photo by Jim Fisher The Sisters Airport runway got a facelift on July 23 thanks to a cost-share grant from the Oregon Department of Aviation, according to David Clemens, secretary-treasurer of Eagle Air, Inc., which operates the airport. A work crew patched cracks and sealed the entire 3,200-foot runway surface with an asphalt-based emulsion. The treatment will extend the life of the runway for about seven years, according to James A. Kirby, Jr. engineer with W & H... Full story
Gary Lovegren surveys salvage logging site. photo by Jim Fisher Travelers driving into Central Oregon on Highway 20 can look down over Blue Lake at the eastern base of the Cascades and see the first signs of forest restoration after the devastating B&B Complex Fire of 2003. The Lovegren Estate, which owns 117 acres in the area, is completing salvage operations of fire-killed timber on their lands. Some 300,000 board feet of timber have been removed this summer with logs transported to mills in Gilchrist, Sweet Home and... Full story
Bud Beechwood films and Leo Wilson narrates during the Tollgate fire. photo by Jim Fisher It was a hot, summer morning July 26, 1979 -- 25 years ago. Waiting at the Sisters airport with Fire Prevention Director Leo Wilson for the Oregon Department of Forestry plane to arrive, I visited with two Sisters residents, logging contractor Harold Barclay and airport owner Cliff Clemens. I introduced myself as Public Affairs Director with the department and told them, "We drove from Salem this morning to meet Bud Beechwood, a... Full story
