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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2021 | SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK How did Oregon’s Heritage Trees fare during the storm? Capi Lynn Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK What’s a little ice when you’ve survived city devel- opment and an encroaching street system? The Waldo Park Tree, a nearly 150-year-old giant sequoia on the corner of Summer and Union streets NE near downtown Salem, looks unscathed by the ice storm. It’s one of 11 Oregon Heritage Trees in the area that we did a welfare check on either by driving by or reach- ing out to their stewards. The Heritage Tree program recognizes the impor- tant contribution of trees to the state’s history and is part of the Oregon Travel Information Council. Seven- ty-six single trees, groups or groves are on the list, and the council doesn’t have the staffing to do an inventory in the wake of any storm. “It’s a small part of what we do — it’s a really impor- tant part, and we love it,” said Annie von Domitz, heri- tage and community assets manager on the OTIC staff. “But it’s just me and volunteers.” Heritage Trees have survived extreme weather events in the past, including 90 mph winds during the 1962 Columbus Day Storm. Some, like the Waldo Park Tree, fared better than others, looking just as they did before their branches and limbs were saddled with 1.5 inches of ice. Others couldn’t withstand the weight and lost limbs and branches, but the true extent of the damage won’t be known for months, maybe even years. “I imagine we’re going to have some damage, be- cause we have these old trees that have large cano- pies,” von Domitz said. “We’ve lost some in the past decade, and it’s always heartbreaking.” The Sitka Spruce at Klootchy Creek, for example, suffered severe damage in 2007 during a major wind- storm. It was the first tree to be inducted into the Heri- tage Tree program in 1997 and was approximately 216 feet tall. Today, about 40 feet of its trunk and two fallen sec- tions remain at a Clatsop County park to remind visi- tors of its massive size. The good news is, at least so far, the Heritage Trees in the Salem area are all still standing after the historic ice storm. Here’s what we know: Benedictine Sisters Sequoia This Benedictine Sisters Sequoia, an approximately 129-foot-tall tree just a few feet from the front door of the Queen of Angels Monastery in Mt. Angel, lost sig- nificant limbs and branches during the storm. “It took a hit on one whole side,” said Sister Jane See TREES, Page 4A Beer tax could go up 2,700% under proposal Bill would increase taxes on beer, wine, cider to aid addiction recovery programs Connor Radnovich Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Crews work to restore power on Delaney Road SE south of Salem after recent storm. ABIGAIL DOLLINS / STATESMAN JOURNAL Oregon’s power lines have been hammered Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK If the last six months have illustrated anything, it’s that Oregon’s power lines are no match for Mother Nature when she’s swinging an aluminum baseball bat. Last September’s Labor Day fires and the February ice storm were twin calamities with power lines at the center of the impact. Towns burned, cities lost power and a number of people died, both in flames and from carbon monoxide poisoning while trying to stay warm. Both storms were considered historic, stressing the power grid on a scale rarely witnessed in state his- tory. But in an era when extreme weather may become more common, the question of whether Oregon’s electrical systems are up to the task has been thrust to the forefront. “We have to do everything we can to reduce the risk of this happening again,” said Oregon Sen. Jeff Mer- kley, in reference to the Labor Day fires. “That means we have to work with our power companies to get critical upgrades and safety investments into place as quickly as possible.” Power companies say they’re already working as hard as they can to harden Oregon’s grid and they’ll redouble efforts after this event. But the reality is up- grades are expensive, could increase power bills and there’s no guarantee they’d hold up once Mother Na- ture starts swinging. Twin calamities with power lines at the center Stretching across the urban and rural sky like a spi- der’s web, power lines are so ubiquitous we barely no- tice them until something goes wrong. See POWER LINES, Page 3A Elderly woman rescued after falling into well Virginia Barreda and Bill Poehler USA TODAY NETWORK Fire crews and police rescued a woman who plum- meted 50 feet into a well outside of Scotts Mills. At about 11:30 a.m. Feb. 18, Silverton Fire District officials were called to the 3000 block of Crooked Fin- ger Road after the woman had fallen through the wood covering of an old stone-lined well. Responders found her conscious lying on a small outcropping partially submerged in water. A neighbor who arrived before responders used the property owner’s rope and pulley and had gone down A woman was pulled from a 55-foot well in Scotts Mills on Feb. 18. SILVERTON FIRE DISTRICT Vol. 140, No. 11 Online at SilvertonAppeal.com News updates: h Breaking news h Get updates from the Silverton area Photos: h Photo galleries How it would work HB 3296 adds a larger tax on top of the current tax manufacturers and importing distributors already pay to the state. The current tax rate is of $2.60 per barrel of 31 gal- lons for cider and beer and 65 cents per gallon for wine. The bill adds $70 dollars per barrel for the for- mer and $10 per gallon for the latter. This is where the 2,700% and 1,500% tax increases are calculated from. Oregon Recovers said the goal with the tax in- crease was to raise the wholesale price of alcohol by 20 percent. They assume the costs will be passed on- to consumers, thus the predicted 20-30 cent increase in retail per bottle and glass prices. Marshall said moderate drinkers are unlikely to notice the increase — the price increase is aimed at the cheapest alcohols and the people who drink heaviest. The coalition estimates the bill would raise $746 million in new revenue in the first biennium, money that could put a dent in Oregon’s addiction crisis. Proponents and opponents Salem Statesman Journal See RESCUE, Page 2A A bill introduced at the Oregon Legislature and supported by a coalition of addiction recovery advo- cates would increase taxes on beer, wine and cider to fund a system of drug intervention and recovery pro- grams. House Bill 3296 proposes a 2,700% tax increase on manufacturers and distributors for beer and cider, and a 1,500% tax increase for wine. The Oregon Beverage Alliance said it appears to be the single largest tax increase ever proposed. However, proponents say that number lacks con- text: Oregon currently taxes beer at eight-tenths of one cent per bottle, and this proposal — assuming in- creased costs are all passed along — would increase that to 21 cents per bottle for consumers. Wine would increase to 31 cents per glass, and cocktails would increase to 18 cents. “It’s a virtually untaxed substance to begin with,” said Mike Marshall, executive director of Oregon Re- covers, the addiction recovery coalition. “(With HB 3296) it’s not even a quarter a beer.” Even increasing taxes by thousands of percent would leave the tax rate well below Centers for Dis- ease Control taxation level guidelines for addressing binge drinking, Marshall said. In comparison, Washington’s beer tax per bottle is 26 cents and California’s is 20 cents. Per glass of wine, Washington’s tax rate is 87 cents, while Cali- fornia’s is 20 cents. Both of those states also have a sales tax that also applies to purchases of wine, beer and cider, while Oregon has no sales tax. Serving the Silverton Area Since 1880 A Unique Edition of the Statesman Journal QEAJAB-07403y ©2021 50 cents Printed on recycled paper Proponents say HB3296 — also known as the Ad- diction Crisis Recovery Act — would reduce underage drinking and binge drinking while generating reve- nue to fund necessary programs. Chief sponsor Rep. Tawna Sanchez, D-Portland, said the bill has been the subject of stakeholder con- versations for four years and is even more needed now as the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated “Oregon’s long-standing addiction crisis.” That crisis has social, health and economic reper- cussions, which this bill addresses, she said. “ACRA will significantly reduce that economic damage, require national alcohol companies to pay their fair share of the cost of damaging alcohol con- sumption and lift thousands of Oregonians out of ac- tive addiction,” Sanchez said in a statement. The Oregon Beverage Alliance said the bill would irreparably harm Oregon beverage industries. “If the goal is to kill the Oregon beer, wine and ci- der sectors, this bill is a great start. Beer, wine, cider See TAX, Page 2A
