Partnership may restore Glaze Meadow

Sisters folks are being asked to weigh in on an unusual forest management proposal called the Glaze Restoration Project.

Details on the project are described in a four-page newsletter recently published by the Forest Service.

“This collaborative project was jointly initiated by a conservation group and a forest products industry group because they agreed that active management was needed to restore the health, resiliency, and beauty of eastside forests,” Sisters District Ranger Bill Anthony explains in the newsletter.

Tim Lillebo of the Oregon Natural Resources Council and Cal Mukumoto of Warm Springs Forest Industries formed a partnership in proposing the project, Anthony added.

The Glaze Restoration Project is located on 1,200 acres just east of Black Butte Ranch and south of Highway 20. Large blocks of private timberland were logged around Glaze Meadow in the 1930s, according to Maret Pajutee, team leader for the project and forest ecologist for the ranger district.

“The Sisters area was booming at that time and there were many small sawmills throughout the area,” Pajutee said.

The Forest Service acquired the land in 1940 with blocks of old-growth timber still standing west and northwest of the meadow. In addition, there are stands of second-growth timber and large aspen groves in the area.

“With the old-growth stands, we want to create a more fire-resistant landscape by removing small trees and shrubs, harvesting some large trees, and leaving some areas unthinned for wildlife habitat and cover,” Pajutee explained.

“Then, we will reintroduce prescribed fire to the area as a natural process to maintain the landscape.” While there are no home developments close by, this work will help reduce the risk of wildfire to nearby communities and special natural places, she said.

The second-growth stands will be thinned to create future old-growth forests and the health of aspen groves will be improved, she added. Less than 1,000 acres will be thinned and up to 1,200 acres may be mowed or burned in the proposed project. Some byproducts may be salable small logs and biomass fuel for energy.

“If implemented, the project may be offered this fall as a stewardship area where those who proposed the project, and who often don’t see eye-to-eye, will continue to manage the area,” Pajutee said. The project may also become a template for other areas.

The four-page newsletter listing more details and photographs is available from the Sisters Ranger Station. Questions and comments may be directed to Pajutee by May 31 at 541-549-7727, by contacting her at Team Leader, Sisters Ranger District, P.O. Box 249, Sisters, OR 97759, or by e-mail at [email protected]

In addition, a slide show project overview by Pajutee is scheduled at a Friends of Black Butte Ranch meeting on May 11 at 3 p.m. at the Black Butte Ranch Fire Station. Call Jean Nave at 549-8755 for more information.

A field trip in the area is scheduled for May 18 from 1 to 4 p.m. Meet at the Indian Ford Campground at 1 p.m. rain or shine wearing boots, long pants, and other clothing to accommodate the weather.