Walden holds forest hearing in Sisters

Take fast action in salvaging fire-killed and fire-damaged timber and streamline the federal review process.

That was the message given by speakers at an August 18 congressional hearing held by Rep. Greg Walden at Sisters High School.

Walden conducted the hearing of the Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health, which he chairs. About 100 people packed the SHS Lecture/Drama Room to hear testimony from seven speakers from the Forest Service, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation, Oregon State University College of Forestry, county and city government and the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce.

With an agenda entitled "In the Aftermath of Catastrophic Events: Restoring and Protecting Communities, Water, Wildlife and Forests," the hearing was held just a day before the one-year anniversary of the start of the B&B Complex Fire. It was also during the same week when no bids were received for a salvage sale for the 2002 Eyerly Fire.

Walden showed great interest in how the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation move quickly to salvage fire-killed timber. Robert Brunoe, general manager of natural resources for the tribes, explained that they maintain a strong outreach program with tribal members before fires burn and involve members in their planning process, thereby avoiding appeals.

This involvement results in the entire process of preparing a salvage sale lasting from only 120 to 180 days, he said.

Federal timber sales can take years to develop.

Brunoe added that their process still protects all forest resources and that their forest has been certified as a Sustainable Forest by an international organization that evaluates public and private forests. In follow-up questions, Walden asked Brunoe when planning started to salvage the 2004 Log Springs Fire and got the answer "last week."

Walden then asked "Is that fire completely out?" and was told "not yet."

"We listen to the land and it will tell us what needs to be done," Brunoe said. "We take what has been given to us by the Creator and work in harmony with it."

The Warm Springs approach was clearly intriguing to Walden.

"What I want to learn more about is how tribal governments are able to move as rapidly as they are and still maintain this environmentally certified forest status," Walden said at the conclusion of the two-hour hearing. "They have obviously figured out how to do this in a way that they meet the highest standards in the country for environmental stewardship of their forests. They don't have to wait three years after a fire to go in and take action."

Brunoe agreed to provide Walden with details of the tribal forest plan.

The hearing opened with testimony from Forest Service representatives including Regional Forester Linda Goodman, in charge of national forests in Oregon and Washington, and Leslie Weldon, forest supervisor for the Deschutes National Forest. They outlined the processes that agency must follow in preparing salvage sales. In response to Walden's questions, they stated that while delays sometimes are created by lack of personnel and resources, most delays come from the process itself.

Professor Paul Adams of the OSU College of Forestry testified that he sees five concerns in minimizing delays in salvage sales.

He said that people must recognize that individual philosophical beliefs sometimes overshadow scientific evidence and that federal managers are hindered by policies they must follow.

Other concerns are to strengthen applied research to learn more as work is being done, make preliminary plans for potential salvage in high-risk areas and recognize that both social and economic concerns must be considered to sustain a forest.

He pointed out the success of the State of Oregon in reforesting the former Tillamook Burn after a series of four major fires from 1933 to 1951.

On a personal note, he said that he is a part-time resident of the Camp Sherman area and was evacuated when the B&B Fire approached that community.

Doug Robertson, Douglas County Commissioner for the past 23 years, testified that he is not unhappy with Forest Service personnel, but he is frustrated with the federal processes.

"When a project plan calls for salvage on only a small percentage of the fire area, what is going to happen to the remaining area?" he asked.

He also cited the Tillamook reforestation project as an example to follow.

Peter Storton spoke representing the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce.

He emphasized the economic impact of major wildfires and highway closures to the tourism economy of the Sisters area.

"Highway 20 is the life blood of Sisters and when it is closed by wildfire, the whole community suffers," he said.

Storton proposed more federal programs to aid communities impacted by fires.

Another part-time Camp Sherman resident who testified was Rick Allen, mayor of Madras and former Jefferson County Commissioner.

He echoed Storton's comments on the loss of summer tourism dollars when fires rage. He pointed out that because it takes time for tourists to return to an area that has been closed by a fire, the impact lasts much longer than the duration of the fire.

"Tourists may not return for several weeks following a fire and we can lose the entire summer season," he said.

Following the hearing, Walden said that he has no specific legislation being drafted, but that he wanted to hear ideas on how to speed up recovery of forests.

Public testimony on the recovery issue may be submitted until September 1 by fax at 202-225-0521 or by emailing [email protected]