Forestry E-Newsletter – IAMAW

Oregon Department of Forestry – Fall Forestry E-Letter

admin — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 18:33:27 +0000

Oregon Department of Forestry

ODF’s third consecutive severe season packs a wallop

In August, a firefighter extinguishes hot spots on the Ben More Lane Fire 7 miles northeast of Oakland. WIthout prompt initial attack the fast-moving fire could have easily exceeded 100 acres. Photo by Kyle Reed, DFPA

At a mid-August press conference in Oregon, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell characterized the high wildfire activity in the West as “the new normal.” His words rang true for Oregonians, who were enduring their third severe fire season in a row.

The story of the 2015 wildfire season in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest perhaps is best told by the statistics.

Here’s a snapshot on Sept. 11:

577,000 acres burned in Oregon; 994,000 acres burned in Washington
Nearly 2,000 fires in Oregon, and 1,500 in Washington
Largest fires: 110,000-acre Canyon Creek Complex in Oregon; 211,000-acre North Star Fire in Washington
Incident management teams deployed 46 times in the region
Firefighting costs of $464 million ($211 million in Oregon; $253 million in Washington)
Some 10,900 fire personnel deployed at the peak of activity

Large fire activity began early with the 4,740-acre Sugarloaf Fire June 27, and showed little sign of slowing down by mid-September when the Dry Gulch Fire scorched 17,000 acres in just three days. The wildfires took an enormous toll on developments as well, destroying 62 homes and numerous other structures.

Oregon’s Board of Forestry revisits streamside buffers

Streamside, or riparian, buffer rules ensure Oregon’s streams are cool and provide a blueprint for where to leave trees during a timber harvest. Existing since the 1980s, these rules were revised in the 1990s to further protect water quality.

In 2002 through monitoring, the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) analyzed Forest Practices Act (FPA) streamside shade buffer rules to assess alignment with the federal Clean Water Act. The research showed that following FPA rules didn’t meet the protecting cold water (PCW) standard, which directs that human activity should not raise stream temperature more than ½ degree Fahrenheit where salmon, steelhead and bull trout are present.

In July, Board members discussed their conceptual visions about what new streamside buffer rules should include to address complex legal, scientific, and social values. To capture the many interests expressed in a meaningful way, the Board established a subcommittee to develop proposals for the full Board to consider in November. The subcommittee agreed that temperature should be the lens through which it views the rulemaking proposal process to maintain a strong connection to the water quality standard in question.

Upcoming Board of Forestry consideration will include monitoring and assessing the rules for their effectiveness in meeting the PCW standard, as well as consideration of equity relief for both forestland owners with smaller parcels, and small woodland owners.

Young forests critical to songbirds

A white-crowned sparrow perches atop lupine.

Photo courtesy Matthew R. Olson

Early seral-dependent songbirds like the rufous hummingbird and orange-crowned warbler have been declining in Oregon. According to research, this is due in part to the emphasis on late-successional and old-growth management goals on federal forestlands. Estimates indicate a decline of as much as 50 percent in early-seral forests since the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Oregon Forests Research Institute (OFRI) has a new publication about songbirds in their Wildlife in Managed Forests series. The new publication, “Early Seral-Associated Songbirds,” outlines science-based recommendations to maintain songbird habitat including strategies to provide habitat for early seral-associated songbirds while still growing timber to meet society’s wood products demands.

Recommendations for landowners seeking to help promote songbird habitat include maintaining some shrubs and hardwood trees and keeping large-diameter down logs on-site.

The new publication is available here.

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Forestry E-Newsletter – June 30, 2015

admin — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 16:48:06 +0000

Be wildfire-aware when visiting the forest during the Fourth of July

Quick Links:

ODF’s home page

In this issue:

* Setting stream buffer sizes

Enjoy this Forestry

E-LETTER.

Thanks to all who contributed

stories & photos.

Join Our Mailing List

Forward to a Friend

Stay connected with us on Facebook and Twitter

June 30, 2015

Even the humble sparkler burns at 1,200 degrees or higher — plenty hot enough to ignite forest vegetation.

Photo: publicdomainpictures.net

On a typical Fourth of July weekend in Oregon, the woods are fire-prone.

This year the risk is especially high.

Ongoing drought, meager winter snowpack, and warmer-than-average temperatures have set the stage for any fire start to spread fast. An errant spark in the fuel-rich environment of a forest is all it takes.

Be careful with campfires, motorized vehicles and cigarettes – all common causes of wildfires.

And while we all associate fireworks with Independence Day, leave them at home when you travel to the forest. Even the humble sparkler burns at 1,200 degrees – enough heat to ignite grass, shrubs and trees in seconds.

The Keep Oregon Green Association offers other practical fire safety tips to make your July 4 holiday safe and enjoyable. Please visit them online here.

Setting stream buffer sizes that keep streams cool

Streamside, or riparian, buffer rules ensure streams are shaded and provide a blueprint for where to leave trees during a timber harvest. The Board of Forestry continues working with all interests as they evaluate stream buffer sizes that keep streams cool, and balance environmental and economic outcomes.

The Board last revised these streamside buffer rules in the 1990s to further protect water quality, and included monitoring to ensure effectiveness.

In 2012, as part of an adaptive forest management approach, the Board began an analysis of streamside buffer rules based on Oregon Department of Forestry monitoring results for small and medium-sized streams where fish were. The research showed the rules fell short of the “protecting cold water” (PCW) standard. The standard means stream temperature should not rise more than one-half degree Fahrenheit because of human activity, where salmon, steelhead, and bull trout are present.

As the Board of Forestry considers revising the current rules, it also recognizes successes, including:

$100 million voluntarily invested to restore streams and salmon habitat through Oregon’s Plan for Salmon and Watersheds.
Most stream water quality in forests rated as good or excellent.
Private forestlands provide some of the best Coho rearing habitat.

The Board will review options for revising the regulations at its July meeting and may begin drafting new rules for consideration this fall.

Oregon Community Trees:

promoting healthy urban forests

Cusick’s Checkermallow: This lovely hollyhock-like pink perennial rarely found outside its native Oregon is shown here growing in Canemah Bluff Natural Area, Oregon City.

Oregon Community Trees toured the above site recently just prior to their quarterly meeting, where they discussed promoting healthy urban forests through leadership, education and advocacy. Oregon Community Trees also hosts an annual 1-day conference with thought-provoking urban forestry topics and inspirational speakers. To learn more about Oregon Community Trees, visit their website.

Oregon Department of Forestry | 2600 State Street
Salem, OR 97310

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GETTING BURNED…THE COST OF WILDFIRE

admin — Mon, 01 Jun 2015 12:28:38 +0000

News Release from Oregon Dept. of Forestry
Posted on FlashAlert: May 27th, 2015 8:56 AM
$200 million. That’s what the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) spent putting wildfires out over the past two fire seasons. This does not take into account the dozens of homes lost, the impact to communities, and the loss of valuable natural resources. The cost of fire goes well beyond dollars and cents.

As May’s Wildfire Awareness Month comes to an end in Oregon, it is the hope of wildland fire protection agencies that the message has been received leading into what could be another catastrophic fire season.

“We’re faced with a daunting task,” says Oregon Department of Forestry Fire Prevention Coordinator Tom Fields. “With drought conditions plaguing much of the state, it is crystal clear that, as a society, we all need to put fire prevention practices front and center in our daily lives.”

Statewide under ODF’s protection of nearly 16 million acres, 70 percent of all wildfires are human-caused. Human-caused fires are anything not started by lightning and include but are not limited to outdoor debris burning, campfires, smoking, equipment use (including vehicles, power lines, lawn mowers, welding, etc.), fireworks, ammunition, exploding targets and arson.

While Fields says some fires are accidental, many result from carelessness. “It’s all about changing the way we do things and recognizing the warning signs.” Fields says that perhaps the best example of this is burning yard debris during warm, windy conditions. “People think that they are in control and are under the mindset that this will never happen to them. And as soon as the wind picks up and pushes flames and embers outside their burn pile, it’s off to the races and out of their control.”

In 2014, ODF responded to 171 debris burn fires that burned 1,900 acres and cost more than $805,000 to suppress: That’s an average of $4,711 per fire. In many cases the responsible party is liable for these fire suppression costs.

Fire season is close. Each ODF District will go into fire season based on conditions in their respective areas. Things to prepare for when fire season arrives include: the end of unregulated outdoor debris burning (already prohibited in some areas); keeping campfires in approved campgrounds; and keeping vehicles on improved roads that are free of dry, flammable vegetation. Other activities forbidden during fire season within ODF protection boundaries include the use of sky lanterns, fireworks, tracer ammunition and exploding targets. Visit oregon.gov/odf for fire restrictions in your area or check with your local ODF office or fire department for more information.

Fields says that the severity of the 2015 fire season will depend on two key factors: Mother Nature and people. “There’s not a whole lot we can do about lightning except be prepared with firefighting resources before the storm hits. People, on the other hand, can make a huge difference in the success, or failure, of a challenging summer.”

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Forestry E-Newsletter – August 6, 2014

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 15:08:02 +0000

August 6, 2014

Fire Season 2014 already one for the books

At summer 2014’s mid-point, many Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) fire managers are into their eighth week of an extremely busy, demanding fire season. Several large fires early on required incident management teams to quell, and continuing extreme weather and fuel conditions mean any new fire starts could grow large. In July and early August, wave after wave of dry lightning storms raked the landscape leaving thousands of acres of eastside forest and rangeland ablaze.

Quick Links:

ODF’s home page

In this issue:

Visit us at the State Fair

New fish habitat guide

Birds need our help

Enjoy this Forestry

E-LETTER.

Thanks to all who contributed

stories & photos.

Join Our Mailing List

Forward to a Friend

By the end of July, the list of large fires fought by ODF teams had already grown long:

Two Bulls Fire – Reported June 7

Bryant Fire –
Reported June 19

White River Fire – Reported July 12

Moccasin Hill Fire – Reported July 13

Waterman Complex – Reported July 14

Rye Valley Fire – Reported July 23

Ferguson Fire –
Reported July 25

Haystack Complex – Reported July 30

Reeves Creek – Reported July 28

Beaver Complex – Reported July 30

Rowena Fire –
Reported August 5

Above: The Owens Fire burning in Owens south of Hood River. Photo: ODF’s The Dalles unit.

Arrowhead Hot Shots in mid-July on the White

River Fire about 15 miles west of Maupin.

Photo by Chris Friend, ODF

ODF personnel on the west-side got a taste of what was coming clear back in January, when a rash of fires extending from the California border to Washington reignited during a dry, windy period. Firefighters responding to these winter blazes faced unusual challenges, including frozen water sources and snowbound access roads.

In mid-July when thunderstorms spawned several episodes of 10,000-plus lightning strikes per day, fire protection agencies quickly found themselves stretched. The lightning ignited dozens of major wildfires across Oregon and Washington and most recently, California.

As of this writing, two months or more of wildfire season lie ahead before the fall rains set in. The safest characterization of the 2014 season at this point might be: Bad currently, and possibly getting worse.

Whatever comes, ODF will stick with its time-tested strategy of aggressive initial attack.

“Consistent with our overriding goal, we have extinguished almost all fires on state-protected land at small size,” said Fire Protection Division Director Nancy Hirsch. “A few fires have grown large, requiring dispatch of incident management teams.”

In addition to hand crews and aircraft that the Legislature and forest landowners have supplied, ODF is tapping additional personnel and equipment through a network of agreements with other agencies, states, Canadian provinces and the National Guard.

The department is prepared for the long haul.

In July the Moccasin Hill Fire burned private forestlands protected by ODF’s Klamath-Lake District north of Sprague River, Oregon.

Above, the Mona Street Fire burns in Tri-City near Myrtle Creek. ODF’s Kyle Reed was the first person on the scene. This fire was started by a discarded cigarette. Photo by Kyle Reed, ODF

ODF at the Oregon State Fair: Smokey Bear turns 70

Wooden “tree cookies” are popular at the State Fair.

The theme of the 2014 Oregon State Fair is “Fun” and in the midst of another intense fire season it’s equally hard as it is important to remember and celebrate the Department’s sustained efforts at keeping Oregon’s Forests healthy and properly cared for. The State Fair allows for eleven days (August 22nd to September 1st) of ODF collaboration with vital agency partners like the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, US Forest Service, Oregon Parks & Recreation, Oregon Department of Agriculture and Keep Oregon Green. The “Fun” part is visible in the public’s interface with the ODF logo and those representing it.

Thanks to the South Fork Forest Camp, “tree cookies” will be making their infamous appearance at the fair as well as a new Lookout Tower display (courtesy the Forest History Center).

Also, in celebration of Smokey Bear’s 70th Anniversary there will be a cake cutting ceremony with state forester Doug Decker Saturday, August 23rd at 1pm.

Keeping in line with the “Fun” theme, adults can enjoy the beautiful natural scenery of the Natural Resource area that hosts more than thirty types of trees and plenty of much-coveted shade. So if you have a chance, stop by the ODF booth, decorate a tree cookie, hug Smokey and take a moment to appreciate Oregon’s Forestry efforts.

See you there! – Elizabeth Drake, Public Affairs Intern

Outdoor School gets kids outside

Well over a hundred schoolchildren took part in Outdoor School near Silver Lake this year.

In June, ODF partnered with volunteers and other agencies to host the North Lake Outdoor School at Silver Creek Marsh Campground near Silver Lake.

Some 130 local North Lake School District schoolchildren in grades K-6 rotated through a variety of stations designed to introduce them to topics about natural resources and the outdoors.

Stations included fish life cycles and habitat, the life cycle of a plant, forestry fundamentals and birds.

Cooperators for the 2-day event included Lake County Watershed Council, Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Klamath Watershed Partnership, Lake County OSU Extension Service, and the Oregon Department of Forestry.

ODF stewardship forester Kellie Carlsen and former ODF employee Anne Maloney participated. The event was coordinated by the Lake County Watershed Council. Thanks to all who participated!

For forest landowners: new guide to fish habitat

“Fish Habitat and Passage” is a newly published guide to fish habitat by the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) for forest landowners. Using the best available science as well as case studies, the 28-page “Wildlife in Managed Forests: Fish Habitat and Passage” contains clear, practical information.

The new publication is part of OFRI’s Wildlife in Managed Forest Series. Other books in the series cover deer and elk, amphibians and the spotted owl.

Digital and printed copies are available free at OregonForests.org

The birds need our help

American House Finch
Photo by Jim Liesch, ODF

A U.S. study led by the Migratory Bird Center of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington D.C., concluded that U.S. cats kill 1.4 to 3.7 billion birds a year – a huge number. Cat predation can be especially hard on bird populations on fragmented landscapes where migratory birds already have limited opportunities for feeding, nesting and birding.

What can help? Attaching a bell to the collar of your cat, or better yet, limiting or preventing your cat’s access to the outdoors.

For more info, visit Audubon online.

Stay connected with us on Facebook and Twitter

Oregon Department of Forestry | 2600 State Street
Salem, OR 97310

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