Salvage logging proposed

The Forest Service is proposing salvage logging on 1,051 acres of the area burned by the Pole Creek Fire last year.

The fire, which started on September 9, 2012 and was declared contained on October 17, 2012, burned over some 21,120 acres south and southwest of Sisters.

The proposed salvage would be confined to "matrix" lands - acreage managed for timber. The salvage is restricted to areas of severe, stand-killing fire; mixed-mortality areas won't be logged. Logging won't be conducted on slopes greater than 30 degrees. The area already has a considerable network of forest roads.

"It's just too difficult in terms of litigation to do anything but treat on matrix lands," said Sisters District Ranger Kristie Miller, explaining why only a small percentage of the fire's overall acreage is up for salvage.

Miller acknowledged that some will see leaving the vast majority of the fire area unsalvaged as a waste of timber.

"That's a matter of perspective," she said. "A lot of people believe that fire is a natural part of the ecosystem and we shouldn't go in and mess with things after the fact."

Miller said the Forest Service must navigate between varied perceptions and adhere to established forest plans. Under the Northwest Fire Plan, it would be difficult to argue that salvage logging in Late Successional Reserve lands is beneficial to the health of the forest, Miller explained.

A scoping letter sent out by the Forest Service last week details the need for the salvage operation:

"As time progresses ... fire-killed trees lose economic value due to staining, insects and checking... By the late spring or early summer 2014, up to 60 percent of the economic value of these trees could be lost. There is a need to expeditiously salvage fire-killed trees in the matrix land allocation. This action would help support the forest-products industry and the local economy."

The project is expected to yield about 13 million board feet of timber, including firewood.

The public is invited to comment upon the proposal. Contact Pole Creek Fire Timber Salvage Project Manager Michael Keown, P.O. Box 249, Sisters, OR 97759. Email comments to [email protected]

Copies of the scoping letter are available at the Sisters Ranger District office at the corner of Pine Street and Main Avenue.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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