Wednesday, October 11, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
WALDEN: Congressman
talked about fire’s
impact on community
Continued from page 1
companies eager to buy the
timber, which includes large
ponderosa pines.
At this time, the Forest
Service can legally remove
hazard trees from fire areas
along highways immediately
following the fire’s contain-
ment. However, removal of
any of the rest of the burned
timber requires time-consum-
ing environmental assess-
ments, which can take several
years if there are appeals,
leaving the timber to degrade
and become salvageable only
for firewood.
Because the Forest Service
could conduct rapid post-fire
recovery efforts along 242,
they were able to complete
work prior to the onset of
winter. Had that not occurred,
242 would not have opened to
the public next spring.
Walden would like to see
legislation passed to change
the wilderness regulations.
Due to environmental protec-
tion regulations, any burned
timber in the wilderness can-
not be removed, leaving dead
trees to conceivably fuel
future fires.
Chris Wilder of Sisters
Log Furniture, and president
of the Chamber of Commerce
Board, said, “There is value
in the timber burned in the
wilderness,” but not if it can’t
be harvested.
The general consensus
around the table Sunday
afternoon was more “com-
monsense” regulations could
help reduce fire danger from
unharvested fuels by allowing
the cutting of fire-damaged
timber in both wilderness
and non-wilderness areas in
a more timely fashion, before
the timber losses its value as
marketable lumber.
Walden reported there is
a proposed bill in the House
that would reduce the amount
of time it takes for the Forest
Service to harvest fire-dam-
aged timber, and it doesn’t
eliminate environmental
safeguards.
When asked if he supports
the Senate bill introduced by
Oregon Senator Ron Wyden
(D) and four other western
senators, called the Wildfire
Mitigation Assistance Act,
he responded, “Yes.” The act
would provide resources to
assist communities recover-
ing from damaging wildfires.
However, Walden con-
tended, “You can’t buy your
way out.”
He believes there need
to be changes to the policies
governing the management
of the nation’s forests, call-
ing for more active thinning
in order to reduce fuel loads
that feed the fires in the first
place.
He pointed out that in
Eastern Oregon, healthy pon-
derosa forests should have 20
trees per acre, but due to fire
suppression and reduction in
logging, there are now 1,000
ponderosas per acre.
On the tour of the Milli
Fire, Walden said he was told
by Forest Service person-
nel, “If I could just do what
I am trained to do,” such as
increased post-fire salvage,
the risk of catastrophic forest
fires could be reduced.
Fifty percent of the entire
Forest Service budget is for
fire suppression, and another
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on surrounding communities
from carbon emissions and
particulates in the air, and
damage to local watersheds
impacting drinking and irri-
gation water.
Walden told the attend-
ees the CDC and EPA are
doing a study on the differ-
ence between smoke from
forest fires and smoke from
prescribed burns. Prescribed
burns can be scheduled
when wind and air condi-
tions are favorable for reduc-
ing the impact of the smoke.
Forest fire smoke tends to be
denser and, of course, can’t
be scheduled for favorable
See WALDEN on page 25
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55 and
over
46-48 percent has to cover all
other programs of the Forest
Service, including preventive
measures.
Roger White, owner of the
Camp Sherman Store, queried
Walden on the cost of preven-
tive maintenance of the forest
versus the cost to fight a fire.
Walden said it depends on
the land but generally it cost
$3,000 an acre to thin and
four to five times that amount
to fight a fire.
Besides the obvious pub-
lic safety concerns and value
of the property at risk that go
into prioritizing fires for asset
allocation, Walden would like
to see additional consider-
ations such as health impacts
23
Many adult children are called upon to help their aging parents as life changes
set in, yet only 65 percent of siblings report talking about money with one
another, according to research by Ameriprise Financial. While only 15 percent
of siblings have confl icts over money, when siblings do spar over fi nances, it’s
usually about their parents’ situation. Financial conversations between siblings
become inevitable, as brothers and sisters manage their parents’ money
matters, including estate planning, healthcare, retirement income and wills.
In the event that you have shared responsibilities with your siblings down the
road, it’s important to make sure your family is on the same page. Here are
some tips to help you and your siblings have civil conversations about money-
related family matters.
Set aside your differences. When your parents need help, don’t waste your
time re-hashing old family feuds. Keep yourself in check if you are tempted to
fall into old patterns of behavior that may alienate grown-up siblings. You may
not be able to control how your siblings behave, but you can control your own
actions.
Determine key priorities. You’ll accomplish more – and potentially spar
less – when everyone is committed to common goals. Assess what fi nancial
matters you and your siblings will need to manage together. If your parents’
safety is a primary concern, fi nd agreement about the support and services they
need to remain safely in the family home. If it’s time for your parents to move to
an assisted living facility, put your energy into seeking a solution.
Schedule time to talk. Schedule regular check-ins with your siblings to
discuss pressing topics related to your parents’ care, including how fi nances
are being managed. Frequent conversations can help diminish anxiety and
improve collaboration. Ongoing dialogue will help prevent misunderstandings
from blowing up into full-fl edged battles and help keep your parents’ best
interest top-of-mind.
Divide and conquer. It’s important to set responsibilities, with the
understanding that each sibling may be able to contribute different amounts of
time, money and expertise. Be forthright about what you can reasonably handle
and open to taking on more tasks if you have the capacity. Keep in mind that
responsibilities may shift over time, as circumstances change for you and your
siblings.
Be open to advice. Bringing outside sources into your inner circle can help
provide unbiased guidance as you enter this new phase of life. Your parents’
tax preparer, fi nancial planner and other trusted advisors could provide an
important bridge to understanding their current fi nancial situation. Once
you’re ready to plan the next steps for your family, consider working with a
single fi nancial advisor. This approach allows the advisor to help you create a
comprehensive plan that addresses everyone’s needs and concerns.
Money conversations can be emotional and hard to initiate, but keep in mind
that there are benefi ts to having open communication. Families who are willing
to tackle money-related topics are often more confi dent about their ability to
handle fi nancial challenges and work toward their goals.
Mark Greaney is a Financial Advisor with
PacWest Wealth Partners, an advisory practice
of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. in Bend,
Oregon. He specializes in fee-based fi nancial
planning and asset management strategies and
has been in practice for 17 years. Contact Mark
at www.PacWestWealthPartners.com, or call him
at 541-389-0889. Mark is located at 35 NW
Hawthorne Avenue, Bend, OR.
Ameriprise Financial and its affi liates do not offer tax or legal advice. Consumers should consult with their
tax advisor or attorney regarding their specifi c situation. Investment advisory products and services are
made available through Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., a registered investment adviser. Ameriprise
Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC. © 2016 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.