News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Rough estimates indicated that there are something like 200 trees along the Highway 20 corridor west of Sisters that are dead or dying. The Forest Service and the Oregon Department of Transportation have acknowledged that the use of the pesticide Perspective© - along with environmental factors like drought - caused the die-off.
"Nobody can say for sure how many trees are affected or will be," said Sisters District Ranger Kristie Miller.
Miller told The Nugget that the Forest Service is working with ODOT to figure out what the next steps will be in addressing the problem. ODOT is responsible for handling trees that become a safety issue on the highway, and a spokesman told The Nugget last week that hazard trees will be cut down as part of regular highway maintenance operations.
Miller said that her agency will conduct an environmental analysis to identify trees that need to be cut down and remove them.
"If we can, if there's value left in them, we'll sell them," she said. "I don't want to leave a bunch of trees laying on the ground along the highway."
The problem became very evident last summer.
The Forest Service and ODOT reported last month that, as the trees began showing distress and started dying they conducted a joint analysis to determine the cause. The analysis indicated that the manufacturer of the herbicide Perspective©, which ODOT applied to the road shoulders within the highway corridor, originally stated it may harm susceptible trees, but the label did not say it specifically would harm ponderosa pine trees. However, in 2012, additional language on the manufacturer's label was added specifically stating it would damage ponderosa pine trees.
ODOT has discontinued use of Perspective© where trees are growing.
Miller said there would be no action taken regarding the nature or use of the pesticide.
"Everybody was doing what they thought was right in good faith," she said.
There is no timeline yet for the removal of trees through the corridor. The Forest Service and ODOT assert that any removal of the trees will be done in a manner to minimize ground disturbance and maintain the scenic quality of the highway corridor.
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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