From Kevin.Weeks at state.or.us Mon Jan 5 08:26:06 2009 From: Kevin.Weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 08:26:06 -0800 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Message from Marvin Brown Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B64542A014@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> ODF Private Forests News members: State Forester Marvin Brown issued this message on Friday about seeking a replacement for retiring Associate State Forester Clark Seely. Questions about the Private Forests News service? Contact: Kevin Weeks ODF Agency Affairs / Private Forests Division (503) 945-7427 ________________________________ From: BROWN Marvin D Sent: Friday, January 02, 2009 10:37 AM To: ALL FORESTRY Subject: From Marvin Brown Happy New Year to Everyone! I hope you are looking forward to a 2009 that is pleasant and productive. With Clark Seely announcing his retirement at the end of June, I wanted folks to know what our plans are for his replacement. Clark is the agency's Associate State Forester, and as such, is authorized to act on my behalf whenever needed across any agency issue. This is a responsibility that is in addition to the fact that he oversees ODF's Business Sevices and Information Technology Programs. Sometime this month you will see a job announcement for an Administrative Services Division Chief who will oversee Business Services and Information Technology. This will be at the same level as our other Division Chiefs (...what we used to call Assistant State Foresters). We hope to have the successful candidate for this position selected by early May. Paul Bell will be promoted to Associate State Forester upon the date of Clark's official retirement. As we did with Clark, Paul will keep his current duties but also assume the responsibility for acting on behalf of the State Forester whenever necessary. As you know, Paul's current duties are Chief of the Fire Protection Division, as well as oversight of the Equipment Program. Even with the normal legislative session coming up soon I'm expecting to get out whenever possible and welcome the opportunity to visit with you when I can. Until then, take care and enjoy. Marvin Brown -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Kevin.Weeks at state.or.us Mon Jan 5 10:04:39 2009 From: Kevin.Weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 10:04:39 -0800 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] ODF: Project Woodcut relief effort nets national award Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B64542A06A@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Oregon Department of Forestry NEWS RELEASE For immediate release Major media distribution January 5, 2009 Contact: Rod Nichols, 503-945-7425 Project Woodcut relief effort nets national award A project conceived by professional foresters in 2008 as a way to clean up winter storm damage to northwestern Oregon forests and help afflicted local residents heat their homes has garnered a national honor. This fall, the Society of American Foresters (SAF) bestowed the House of Society Delegates National Recognition Award on the Portland SAF chapter for the outstanding public service benefits achieved by "Project Woodcut." When SAF member Bob Alverts learned of the extensive blowdown of trees from back-to-back storms last December, he pondered how to solve two pressing concerns: the millions of board feet of downed timber that would soon become a wildfire hazard, and the roughly 800 Vernonia homeowners without heat due to storm-caused power outages. His solution, dubbed Project Woodcut, helped address both problems. The retired Bureau of Land Management natural resource manager took his idea to the SAF leadership, and soon they were working the phones to recruit woods-savvy volunteers to cut up the dead trees into fuel and deliver it to the remote community. He set the project goal at an ambitious 100 cords of firewood. Public response was gratifying: Stihl Northwest and Precision Power Equipment loaned power saws and other gear to the crew, volunteers provided wood splitters, and lumber mills sent trucks to haul the wood to the stricken homeowners. Cash donations flowed in to help with fuel and other expenses. All told, the generous gifts of services, equipment and supplies, and money by Oregon businesses, organizations and individuals exceeded $50,000. In several weekends the foresters, working with Columbia County Disaster Relief coordinators and local volunteers, cut and split more than 50 cords of firewood from Weyerhaeuser Company and Bureau of Land Management lands, as well as Banks and Vernonia landowner properties, and delivered the fuel to Vernonia residents. Initially, much of the toppled timber proved unreachable due to forest road blockages. To keep the firewood deliveries on track, DR Johnson Lumber of Prairie City donated an entire truckload of dry pine logs. Iron Triangle Logging of John Day hauled the logs to Pendleton, and local mill Blue Mountain Lumber completed the relay by delivering them to Vernonia. Longview Timber Company, Green Diamond Company and Roseburg Forest Products also donated several log truck loads of wood to help exceed the 100-cord goal. A final forest outing of Alverts' band of volunteers on Nov. 15 closed out the nearly year-long relief effort. He reflected on the multiple benefits of the project: "It has helped connect rural and urban people and provided for the basic needs of several hundred flood victims," he said. "Also, it has clearly helped the Society of American Foresters get back to its roots and develop relationships with a number of agencies, companies and volunteer organizations." ### -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Kevin.Weeks at state.or.us Wed Jan 7 15:51:42 2009 From: Kevin.Weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2009 15:51:42 -0800 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Forestry Department assists counties for storm emergency Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B64542A55E@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Oregon Department of Forestry NEWS RELEASE Forestry Department assists counties for storm emergency January 7, 2009 Contact: Kevin Weeks (503) 945-7427 or (503) 689-6879 The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) on Wednesday began mobilizing to assist counties on the northwestern coast of Oregon with emergency resources as a massive winter storm began. Forestry personnel from ODF's Astoria District were deployed earlier this week to check the status of roads and culverts within the Clatsop State Forest for potential hazards. Staff members from ODF's Tillamook, Astoria and Columbia City offices have been coordinating with county emergency management offices as well during the hours leading to the storm's arrival. On Wednesday, ODF received an official request from Clatsop County to provide emergency assistance with sandbagging Plympton Creek Road near Westport. A ten-person crew from the South Fork Forest Camp has been deployed for emergency operations. This emergency scene is in the vicinity of where an abandoned rail fill collapsed on December 11, 2007 launching a debris flow that blocked U.S. Highway 30 for several days. The Tillamook Forest Center on Oregon Highway 6 closed Wednesday on concerns regarding the rising level of the Wilson River adjacent to the educational center. Landowners with forest property are the first line of detection and prevention of landslides. Forest landowners are encouraged to monitor their property for signs of forest road collapses, land slumps or water pooling behind blocked culverts. If landowners feel they cannot adequately respond to a potential hazard on their land, landowners are encouraged to contact their local ODF office or their county emergency management office for assistance. The wet climate and rugged terrain found throughout western Oregon means that many areas are prone to landslides. Landslides occur on both managed and un-managed forests, and landslides do not just occur on forestlands. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of their exposure to these potential landslide risks. Many people, especially in Oregon's urban/rural interface areas, live in the path of potential landslides or debris flows. Additional information about the geology of Oregon's regions is available from the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI). The Oregon Department of Forestry does administer rules that evaluate potential landslide hazards for forested land only. Geotechnical staffs with ODF are continuing to assess landslide hazards and protect public safety for areas where timber harvest may affect land, including drainage and road maintenance in forest areas. Administrative rule authority for ODF regarding landslides in forest areas is specific to shallow, rapidly-moving landslides within forestland where forest management operations occur. The Oregon Department of Forestry is utilizing an emergency operations structure throughout the duration of the storm to quickly respond to requests for assistance, personnel and resources. ### On the Web: Oregon Department of Forestry: www.oregon.gov/ODF Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries: www.oregon.gov/DOGAMI -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Kevin.Weeks at state.or.us Mon Jan 12 11:08:11 2009 From: Kevin.Weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:08:11 -0800 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Oregon honors 2008's Forest Practices Operators of the Year Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B64542AA8C@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Oregon Department of Forestry NEWS RELEASE Oregon honors 2008's Forest Practices Operators of the Year January 12, 2009 Contact: Kevin Weeks, (503) 945-7427 The Oregon Board of Forestry recently recognized several Oregon forest operators for a commitment to innovation and protecting natural resources while harvesting timber. Four companies were presented with 2008's Forest Practices Operator of the Year awards during the Board's January 7, 2009 meeting. Winners are selected by Oregon's Regional Forest Practices Advisory Committees, who evaluate nominees based on an operator's consistency of positive performance, innovation in project design, relative difficulty of a harvest operation and a commitment to protecting Oregon's natural resources as a basis for selecting a winner from three regions of the state. NORTHWEST OREGON REGION - shared award Bighorn Logging (Banks) Stimson Lumber Company (Forest Grove) Stimson and Bighorn collaborated to construct a deflection berm at the foot of Gales Peak northwest of Forest Grove, an area historically prone to landslides. The deflection berm was designed to steer potential debris flows into an open pasture, where the flow could lose energy and come to rest without jeopardizing homes down the slope; the berm also allows a drinking water stream to continue undisturbed thanks to a 160 foot long culvert buried within the berm. "This was a very unique and ambitious project," said Eric Perkins, the ODF stewardship forester who evaluated Stimson's project. "This is the first berm system I've encountered in a twenty-year career as a forester. Bighorn Logging also maintains a solid corporate philosophy with over 30 years of commitment to western Washington County." By stabilizing the hillside above, and protecting the homes below the unit, Stimson was able to harvest a 32 acre unit upslope and, by developing the protective berm, improved the landslide risk factors for their property which creates future harvest opportunities on additional units upslope. Construction of the berm system, performed by Bighorn Logging, was financed by Stimson. SOUTHWEST OREGON REGION Huffman-Wright (Canyonville) Huffman-Wright was honored for a timber harvest near Azalea in Douglas County. The project, performed on Seneca Jones Timber property, involved two separate units which bordered Whitehorse Creek and the North Fork of Whitehorse Creek, waterways that are tributaries of Cow Creek. Protection to fish and streams between the harvest zones appeared to be nearly an impossible task, perhaps even a deal-breaker. The two fish-bearing streams required protection and the four log landings would be very close to sensitive riparian management areas. Jim Bakke, foreman for Huffman-Wright, envisioned the solution. Bakke's concept for the harvest operation hinged on using a large tower equipped with nearly a mile-long skyline system. This solution would rely heavily on Bakke's creativity and experience to get the logs to a distant landing for loading on waiting log trucks. Simply put, the logs from Unit Two were logged to the same landing as Unit One. The long span skyline was equipped with a motorized carriage to move logs to the landing. There was a problem right from the start. The skyline was so high at the far end of Unit Two that the carriage would not return to this location by gravity. Bakke used an extra block on the skyline, attached by a cable to a bull dozer, to bend the skyline low enough for the carriage to reach this location. The logs from Unit Two were raised well above the vegetation and the heads (or gills) of unsuspecting fish in the stream below. "Jim's idea made sense for several reasons," said Jack Tannehill, ODF stewardship forester who worked with the operator and landowner to help reach a solution. "The set up allowed the operator the opportunity to completely lift the logs over the riparian areas instead of dragging the logs down hill and through them to get to the landing." The operation was completed with minimal damage to the sensitive water resources and riparian areas. This is the second time within five years Huffman-Wright has been honored for their work. The company was recognized by the Board of Forestry as a Forest Practices Operator of the Year award winner in 2006. EASTERN OREGON REGION Watterson Logging (John Day) Watterson was recognized for two harvest operations that consisted of 66 acres of pre-commercial thinning, slash treatment, fuel reduction and minor commercial harvest in eastern Grant County. "Watterson Logging consistently strives to do a good job," said Kirk Ausland, ODF stewardship forester in John Day. "They have been in business for many years in Grant County and are known as a trustworthy operator in this region." Watterson was faced with densely overgrown mixed conifer stands on steep, north facing slopes adjacent to federal-owned lands. Given the difficulty of the job, Watterson Logging completed this harvest with exceptional results. The harvest operation resulted in an evenly-spaced mixed conifer stand that will be resistant to catastrophic fire, disease and insects. Forest health was greatly improved for future generations. Watterson Logging is owned by Rusty Watterson of John Day. The Oregon Board of Forestry also recognized three Oregon companies with 2008 Forest Practices Merit Awards; * Plumley Contracting of White City * Eberhard Logging of Elgin * A-1 Logging of Yamhill Additional information about Oregon's forest practice standards is available on the Oregon Department of Forestry's web site: www.oregon.gov/ODF ### -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Kevin.Weeks at state.or.us Fri Jan 16 12:53:39 2009 From: Kevin.Weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:53:39 -0800 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Forestlands burn prohibition Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B6452ADDCA@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> STATEWIDE FOREST BURN PROHIBITION This message was issued at 11:50 Friday AM from ODF Meteorology Manager Jim Trost >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Effective immediately, no forestland burning is allowed, statewide. This included burning in both Level 1 and Level 2 regulated lands. Burns currently under way may be completed but should be mopped up if there is any chance of smoke from those burns impacting any Smoke Sensitive Receptor Area. No additional burning may be conducted at least through Monday, January 19, 2009. Air Stagnation Advisories are in effect for most of Oregon. All of which continue at least through the weekend. The Pacific Northwest is under an extraordinarily strong ridge which is forcing the mixing level below 1000 feet throughout the state. The air mass is stable through at least 10,000 ft above sea level. To complicate the situation further there is little to no transport flow and low level winds will be highly variable through the period. Jim Trost Meteorology Manager Oregon Dept of Forestry 2600 State St, Salem, OR 97310 (503)945-7448 From Kevin.Weeks at state.or.us Tue Jan 20 12:34:51 2009 From: Kevin.Weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:34:51 -0800 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Updated ODF Budget information available Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B64547F31F@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> ODF Private Forests News members: The Oregon Department of Forestry has posted updated information about development of the 2009-2011 Budget, and revisions underway to the current 2007-2009 Budget, on ODF's website at: http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/budgetdevelopment.shtml New information includes ODF's budget reduction strategy for the two budget periods. Kevin Weeks Public Information Officer ODF Agency Affairs / Private Forests Division kweeks at odf.state.or.us (503) 945-7427 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Kevin.Weeks at state.or.us Tue Jan 20 14:43:05 2009 From: Kevin.Weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:43:05 -0800 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Termination of Prescribed Burn Suspension on Wednesday Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B64547F374@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> ODF Private Forests News: The statewide suspension on prescribed burning is lifted effective Wednesday morning. Additional information about changing conditions is included in this message from ODF meteorology manager Jim Trost. Kevin Weeks ODF Agency Affairs / Private Forests Division (503) 945-7427 ________________________________ From: TROST Jim Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 1:02 PM The blanket, statewide suspension of prescribed forestland burning is terminated effective Wednesday morning, Jan 21. However, conditions remain marginal and any burning that is planned must be coordinated with the smoke management meteorologist (503-945-7401) prior to ignition. Until conditions improve, consider only those units with a critical need to be burned and only those that are well away from SSRAs. Conditions are far from ideal and burning will still need to be very carefully controlled. Here is Jim Little's analysis of what we can expect for the next few days: For the past several days the Pacific Northwest has felt the effects of a major and persistent ridge of high pressure in the upper atmosphere. This has brought dry weather and warm temperatures to much of Oregon. The exception has been valley locations which have remained cold due to low level temperature inversions. The atmosphere has been very stable and smoke dispersion conditions have been generally poor over the state. The upper level ridge axis is now over eastern Idaho and beginning to weaken. An upper level trough of low pressure is now located about 400 miles west of the Oregon coastline. Smoke dispersal conditions will improve slowly as this feature continues to move eastward. However, computer models indicate that it is splitting into at least three upper systems. The stronger portions will move to the north and south of Oregon while the weaker center portion will slowly push into the northern part of the state. Unfortunately this will likely not be strong enough to scour out the cold air in many western valley locations and in the Columbia Basin. For that, we are now waiting for a stronger upper trough to drop down from the northwest over the weekend. Bottom line: Slowly improving smoke dispersal conditions the rest of this week, with significantly better conditions over the weekend. We will be lifting the state-wide ban on forestry burning on Wednesday. However, we will only approve burns on an individual basis. Complex wind flow patterns associated with the splitting trough, and continued surface-based inversions mean approvals will be limited. Feel free to speak with the forecaster regarding specific locations, but locations below about 2500 feet or near SSRA's are not likely to be approved. Jim Trost Meteorology Manager Oregon Dept of Forestry 2600 State St, Salem, OR 97310 (503)945-7448 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Kevin.Weeks at state.or.us Wed Jan 21 13:41:08 2009 From: Kevin.Weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:41:08 -0800 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Public hearing scheduled on proposed Forestry rule modifications Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B64547F513@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Oregon Department of Forestry NEWS RELEASE Public hearing scheduled on proposed Forestry rule modifications January 21, 2009 Contact: Kevin Weeks, (503) 945-7427 The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) has scheduled a public hearing to receive comment on proposed rule modifications regarding the use of stewardship agreements on privately-owned forestlands in Oregon. The proposed rule amendment delegates authority from the Oregon Board of Forestry to the State Forester to allow limited statutory modifications and waivers as terms within a forest stewardship agreement. Current law permits modifications or waivers to stewardship agreements in four specific instances identified in Oregon Revised Statutes, Chapter 527. No fiscal or economic impacts on businesses have been identified as result of the proposed rule amendment. Copies of the proposed rule amendment, as well as text of the existing statute, are available upon request from ODF. A public hearing on the proposed rule amendment has been scheduled for Wednesday, January 28th beginning at 9:00am at the Oregon Department of Forestry headquarters, 2600 State Street (Building D, Santiam meeting room) in Salem. Questions about the hearing, including requests for special accommodations to participate in the hearing or for copies of the proposed rule, may be directed to (503) 945-7427. Requests for accommodations should be received by Noon on Monday January 26. March 5, 2009 is the final day for written public comment to be received by the ODF Rules Coordinator at the Salem headquarters of ODF. Additional information about the Oregon Department of Forestry is available on ODF's web site, www.oregon.gov/ODF ### -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Kevin.Weeks at state.or.us Mon Jan 26 13:16:54 2009 From: Kevin.Weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:16:54 -0800 Subject: [ODF_Private_Forests] Committee for Family Forestlands to meet January 29 Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B64547FA4A@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Oregon Department of Forestry NEWS RELEASE Committee for Family Forestlands to meet January 29 January 26, 2009 Contact: Kevin Weeks (503) 945-7427 The Committee for Family Forestlands will meet at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday January 29, 2009 at the Oregon Department of Forestry headquarters in Salem, 2600 State Street (Operations Building D - Sun Pass meeting room). The public is invited to attend and participate in the advisory committee meeting. Committee members will hear reports from ODF staff and discuss priorities for the 2009 Legislative session. The membership of the Committee includes family forest landowners, forest industry representatives, environmental community and public members, and staff representing the Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon State University and the Oregon Forest Resources Institute. The 10-member Committee for Family Forestlands serves an advisory role to the Oregon Board of Forestry regarding issues of concern to Oregon's family-owned forests. Questions about accessibility or special accommodations for the meeting can be directed to the Oregon Department of Forestry at 503-945-7472. Small-acreage private woodland owners and forest-owning families actively manage 4.7 million acres of Oregon's forests, about 15 percent of the state's forest footprint. Additional information about the Committee for Family Forestlands is also available on the Oregon Department of Forestry's web site at: http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/BOARD/CFF/cff.shtml ### -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: