Mail Tribune
Uncle Sam needs to give priority to thinning more than a quarter million acres of federal forestland in the Rogue Basin.
That recommendation comes not from the timber industry but from "Restoring the Rogue," a 50-page report compiled by the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center in addressing the 3.3 million acres of federal forestlands in the Rogue Basin, which includes the Rogue, Applegate and Illinois river drainages. The environmental watchdog group based in Ashland released the report Wednesday.
"We want this to be a starting point for widespread restoration in the Rogue Basin, which can produce jobs, clean water and healthy forests," said Joseph Vaile, the group's campaign director and primary author of the report.
The report calls for thinning managed tree stands between 40 and 80 years of age on roughly 166,000 acres of federal forestland in the basin. In addition, it recommends the federal government prioritize thinning on some 124,000 acres of high fire-hazard forests on its land in wildland urban interface in Jackson and Josephine counties.
However, it should protect forests that are 150 years or older on 719,235 acres in the basin, the report says.
Copies of the report will be given to decision-makers at the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and the Medford District of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management as well as others concerned about the long-term management of federal forestlands in the basin, Vaile said.
"They might come up with different ideas," he acknowledged.Noting that KS Wild works closely with the Southern Oregon Small Diameter Collaborative and the Josephine County Stewardship Group, he hopes the report can be used as a basis for discussions among federal land managers and others involved in federal land issues.
It could also serve as a launching pad for a more comprehensive restoration report on the basin, he noted.
The thinning near communities would increase safety in the event of a wildfire as well as improve forest health, he said. Thinning in the "back country" would benefit forests overgrown because of poor logging practices or fire exclusion over the past century, he added.
A biologist by training, Vaile said he spent the better part of a year putting the report together. He consulted experts in various fields, used the geographic information system and spent a lot of time on the ground, he said.
"We tried to look at where we could get the biggest bang for our buck to restore forests and watersheds in the basin," he said. "Some of the thinnings would pay for themselves, especially if the timber market gets better.
"But the federal government does get money each year to do this kind of work," he added. "We need a strategy for restoring salmon, forest health and clean water."
The report, which contains 21 maps that describe restoration priorities, focuses on public lands in the basin which account for 62 percent of the basin's land base, Vaile said.
To view a copy of the report, check out www.kswild.org/restoretherogue.
Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at pfattig@mailtribune.co
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