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Clear-cutting in Oregon
forests may be behind
recent flooding disasters
It’s easy to forget the recent
months of pouring rain when
the last few days have been
so sunny and clear. But if we
just look at the still near-over
flowing, brown Willamette Riv
er, we see the rains and floods
and landslides are not far behind
us. And if the rains return, there
is a strong possibility the floods
and landslides will be back
OPINION
Laura
Daniel
again, bringing
more disaster.
People referred to
the floods and landslides
that occurred last No
vember as “natural dis
asters,” but how natural
were they? Of course,
flooding and landslides
occur naturally, but with
decades of clear-cutting
behind us these “natural” disasters are re
ceiving a little help from mankind.
The clear-cutting of Oregon's forests and
the building of logging roads increases
peak flows in mountain streams by any
where from 20 to 50 percent, said Forest
Service Hydrologist Gordon Grant. When it
rains, the water levels of these streams rise
and often cause flooding. Without trees to
maintain topsoil, the ground cannot absorb
the excess water, which, along with dirt,
drains into streams and rivers, increasing
the chance of floods and landslides.
The exact relationship between logging
and flooding is not simple. X number of
felled trees does not equal x number of
floods, but a connection between logging
and
flood
ing is
evident,
and it can no
longer be ig
nored.
Obviously, because
the timber industry is
highly profitable in Oregon, logging is not
going to disappear anytime soon. But to
prevent floods and landslides caused by
logging, current forest practices need to be
reevaluated.
Many of the laws regulating logging in
Oregon forests were implemented decades
ago. However, because the past 20 years
have not been particularly wet, these laws
have not been adequately tested until re
cently. Now that we are finding logging in
one place affects the environment in anoth
er, the laws need to be revised to prevent
more
disas
ters.
Not only do we need to think about the
effect clear-cutting has on the habitat of for
est and stream life, but we also need to
think about the threat posed to humans
who live in danger zones. Areas near rivers
face potential flooding while areas on or
near mountainous terrain must deal with
landslides. Timber profits are not more im
portant than human lives.
One way to decrease the threat to homes
and communities is to change the zoning
standards. Currently, when private proper
ty owners wish to build on their land, own
CHRIS HUTCHINSON/Emerald
ers are not required to have a geolo
gist survey the land for the possibility
of floods or landslides. And if a private
property owner’s home is built in a safe
area, neighboring land owners may log
nearby forests and cause a change in the
natural run-off patterns. This could lead to
floods or landslides that would harm
homeowners and their property.
Laws that prevent such environmental
turmoil must be implemented if the inci
dence of flooding and landslides is going to
drop. The effects of clear-cutting have been
ignored for too long. We should not wait
for future floods and landslides to ruin
more lives before logging laws are changed.
Laura Daniel, a junior majoring in biology,
is a columnist for the Emerald. Her views
do not necessarily represent those of the
newspaper. She can be reached by e-mail
at moonpie@gladstone.uoregon.edu.
Emerald
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Mayor, governor waffle on higher education
■ OUR OPINION: Mayor Jim Torrey
and Governor John Kitzhaber forget
college issues in recent speeches
Newly elected Eugene mayor Jim
Torrey and Gov. John Kitzhaber
discussed the state of the city
and state on Monday and Tues
day and not surprisingly, had their share of
hits and misses.
Torrey’s talk at the Eugene Conference
Center on Monday was mostly promising.
His focus on public safety and handling
the local effects of Measure 47 were con
sistent with the goals he set forth at a meet
ing with the Emerald editorial board before
the election.
Those goals, among others, were the rea
son we endorsed Torrey for mayor. And
we hope he follows through on his promis
es. Measure 47 was Torrey's priority even
before it passed. As evidenced by his
speech, this skillful forecasting seems to be
paying off.
Torrey also said public safety is far from
complete. The program of community
policing, and the concept behind it, still
needs more money and time. We couldn’t
agree more.
Torrey promised before the election to
fight for higher education causes. However,
since he has taken office little, if any, atten
tion has been given to the city’s relationship
with the University or Torrey’s personal
crusade on behalf of higher education.
We understand the mayor has little con
trol over the University’s destiny. Howev
er, his vow to fight tuition increases in
Salem and hope of joining together with
other college mayors in the state to advo
cate on behalf of higher education cannot
be overlooked. These are pledges that must
be explored with the utmost effort.
And Torrey’s few ideas of joining togeth
er the University and the city are good ones
that should see fruition. A real connection
can only be found with effort by both sides,
but holding a City Council meeting at the
University, like Torrey proposed, would
help bridge the gap.
Kitzhaber, on the other hand, has al
ready stood for higher education in the
public arena. His 1997-99 budget called for
a two-year tuition freeze and using the
$383 million tax kicker, in part, for
schools. But when he came to Knight Li
brary on Tuesday to further discuss his
State of the State address, any talk of high
er education was sorely lacking.
fifi
[Toney’s] vow to fight tuition increases in
Salem and hope of joining together with
other college mayors in the state to
advocate on behalf of higher education
cannot be overlooked.
-„
One would expect the governor to dis
cuss higher education issues when speak
ing at the largest four-year college in the
state. But his comments only amounted to
a few sentences, and that was only in re
sponse to a question from an Emerald re
porter.
Both Kitzhaber and Torrey’s speeches
were disconcerting to a point. Perhaps all
we have to rely on is their previous com
ments on behalf of higher education. But
only a month has passed since Kitzhaber’s
budget, and Torrey has only been in office
for three days. Let us hope each of these
men’s future actions will speak louder
than their words.
This editorial represents the opinion of the
Emerald editorial hoard.