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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 2021)
2A | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2021 | APPEAL TRIBUNE Forest Service begins plan to remove ‘hazard trees’ Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK A plan to remove fire-killed hazard trees along a vast network of forest roads east of Salem and Eugene will be- gin moving forward as early as this month. After a months-long delay, Willam- ette National Forest announced Wednesday that it would begin cutting down trees that might fall across 404 miles of roads in areas burned by the Beachie Creek, Lionshead and Holiday Farm fires. Forest officials said the decision was the first step toward reopening access to huge swaths of public land that have been closed since the wildfires ignited last September, primarily in the San- tiam and McKenzie river canyons. “This project provides a vital first step to reopen fire-burned areas so we may move forward with fire restoration and repair and help the landscape re- cover,” Willamette National Forest Su- pervisor Dave Warnack said in a news release. The plan has been opposed by envi- ronmental groups and some local resi- dents who say the plan opens too much land to post-fire logging without the type of analysis such programs normal- ly require. They point to hazard tree re- moval projects conducted by the state earlier this year that brought accusa- tions of cutting that was too aggressive and removed trees that didn’t pose a threat. The plan authorizes removing trees within 200 to 250 feet of 404 miles of road — all told more than 20,000 acres. Timber companies will pay to harvest the trees in some cases, helping to offset the project’s cost, while in others, trees would be cut and left on site for erosion control. “There’s nothing wrong with their premise — making roads safe from fall- ing trees and selling commercially via- ble timber to pay for it,” said Nick Cady, legal director at Cascadia Wildlands. “The problem is that they’ve authorized commercial logging extremely broadly across a huge area with limited over- sight, including on a ton of roads that are rarely traveled. They should focus on only the most traveled roads and then look carefully at whether the other roads even make sense. Instead, they’re rushing to get as many trees as possible in a way that could damage rivers, habi- tat and drinking water. And we’re talk- ing about critical areas for the environ- ment — the Opal Creek, Breitenbush and McKenzie river areas.” Forest Service spokeswoman Tammy Robinson said that not all the roads in the plan would need tree removal and that the program would be overseen to ensure only hazard trees were cut. “If there are no danger trees along the road, it will not be treated,” she said in an email, adding that they’ll prioritize major travel routes first. “Danger tree removal which is accomplished by tim- ber sale will be monitored by our timber sale administrators. Our interdisciplin- ary team will also monitor project im- plementation as we proceed.” A breakdown of the project’s plan — called a decision memo in this case — lays out the criteria for cutting, or not cutting, a potential hazard tree along a road. For example, “trees with no green needles are identified to be cut,” accord- ing to the criteria, “while trees with greater than 25% lean away from the road are not to be cut.” There is a break- down for each species in a 68-page document laying out the project. Timber groups said the concerns of environmental groups are overstated. They noted that the roadside hazard re- moval represents a tiny fraction of the forest burned in the fires and that the Forest Service is conducting very little salvage logging overall, and actually missing out on the chance to turn more dead trees into lumber that could be used to fuel the booming homebuilding market, said Nick Smith, spokesman for the American Forest Resource Council. “Removing dead and dying trees along roadsides is the very least our public agencies can do to ensure the safety of the public,” Smith said. “We oppose efforts to scale back roadside removal, which directly threat- ens access to public lands for firefight- ing, recreation and forest manage- ment.” Marion County Commissioner Kevin Cameron said it was about time the For- est Service began taking action. “This is long awaited news,” he said. “Specifically in the city of Detroit and other areas, there are many residents who have cleaned their property while their ‘neighbor,’ the Forest Service, hasn’t done a thing to this point. These areas should be top priority.” Zach Urness has been an outdoors re- porter, photographer and videographer in Oregon for 13 years. To support his work, subscribe to the Statesman Jour- nal. Urness can be reached at zur- ness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors. Address: P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309 Phone: 503-399-6773 Fax: 503-399-6706 Email: sanews@salem.gannett.com Web site: www.SilvertonAppeal.com Staff News Director Don Currie 503-399-6655 dcurrie@statesmanjournal.com Advertising Westsmb@gannett.com Classifieds: call 503-399-6789 Retail: call 503-399-6602 Legal: call 503-399-6789 Missed Delivery? Call: 800-452-2511 Hours: until 7 p.m. Wednesdays; until 3 p.m. other weekdays To Subscribe Call: 800-452-2511 $21 per year for home delivery $22 per year for motor delivery $30.10 per year mail delivery in Oregon $38.13 per year mail delivery outside Oregon Deadlines News: 4 p.m. Thursday Letters: 4 p.m. Thursday Obituaries: 11 a.m. Friday Display Advertising: 4 p.m. Wednesday Legals: 3 p.m. Wednesday Classifieds: 4 p.m. Friday News Tips The Appeal Tribune encourages suggestions for local stories. Email the newsroom, submit letters to the editor and send announcements to sanews@salem.gannett.com or call 503-399-6773. Main Statesman Journal publication Suggested monthly rates: Monday-Sunday: $22, $20 with EZ Pay Monday-Saturday: $17.50, $16 with EZ Pay Wednesday-Sunday: $18, $16 with EZ Pay Monday-Friday: $17.50, $16 with EZ Pay Sunday and Wednesday: $14, $12 with EZ Pay Sunday only: $14, $12 with EZ Pay To report delivery problems or subscribe, call 800-452-2511 To Place an Ad Published every Wednesday by the Statesman Journal, P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309. USPS 469-860, Postmaster: Send address changes to Appeal Tribune, P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID: Salem, OR and additional offices. Send letters to the editor and news releases to sanews@salem.gannett.com. The Beachie Creek Fire took a heavy toll on Opal Creek Scenic Area and Wilderness. Forest officials are moving ahead with a plan that will remove trees burned along roads within the wildfire scar. SUBMITTED PHOTO Healthcare workers: get vaccine or weekly tests Tracy Loew Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Healthcare workers must get vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing, beginning Sept. 30, Gov. Kate Brown announced Wednesday. The move comes just days after several health care systems announced they would require employees to be vaccinated, despite a state law prohibiting such a requirement. Brown directed the Oregon Health Authority to is- sue the new rule in response to a surge of infections and hospitalizations from the more contagious delta variant. “This new safety measure is necessary to stop delta from causing severe illness among our first line of de- fense: our doctors, nurses, medical students, and frontline health care workers,” Brown said. “Protecting our frontline health care workers through vaccination will also enhance the safety of the patients in their care.” The new rule applies broadly to all paid and unpaid workers in health care settings who have direct or in- direct contact with patients or infectious materials. That includes, but is not limited to licensed health pro- viders, long-term care facilities, outpatient facilities, in-home care, pharmacies, urgent care centers and specialty centers. Oregon state law generally allows employers to re- quire vaccinations as a condition of employment. But that doesn’t apply to a few categories of workers, in- cluding health care workers. Brown said she plans to work with the health care industry and legislators to change that during the Feb- ruary 2022 legislative session. She also is examining whether similar measures can be implemented in Public Notices PUBLIC POLICY NOTICES Public Notices are published by the Statesman Journal and available online at w w w . S t a t e s m a n J o u r n a l . c o m . The Statesman Journal lobby is open Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can reach them by phone at 503-399-6789. In order to receive a quote for a public notice you must e-mail your copy to SJLegals@StatesmanJournal.com , and our Legal Clerk will return a proposal with cost, publication date(s), and a preview of the ad. LEGAL/PUBLIC NOTICE DEADLINES All Legals Deadline @ 1:00 p.m. on all days listed below: ***All Deadlines are subject to change when there is a Holiday. The Silverton Appeal Tribune is a one day a week (Wednesday) only publication • Wednesday publication deadlines the Wednesday prior LEGAL/PUBLIC NOTICE RATES Silverton Appeal Tribune: • Wednesdays only - $12.15/per inch/per time • Online Fee - $21.00 per time • Affidavit Fee - $10.00 per Affidavit requested Gov. Kate Brown announced health care workers must get vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing. state workplaces. Some health care systems are moving ahead now. Kaiser Permanente, PeaceHealth, Oregon Health and Science University and the U.S. Veterans Admini- stration all are requiring staff in Oregon to get vacci- nated against COVID, OPB reported Tuesday. Salem Health isn’t going that far, spokeswoman Li- sa Wood said. Since Jan. 1, employees there have been required to either get vaccinated, or sign a form saying they de- cline to get vaccinated. As of last week, those who decline vaccination will be subject to regular COVID testing, likely weekly, Wood said. “Salem Health continues to encourage COVID-19 vaccination among employees and currently provides resources including town halls in units to address vac- cine concerns among employees and equip staff to navigate vaccine hesitancy with patients and commu- nity members,” Wood said. Salem Health’s overall employee vaccination rate is 75%, Wood said. For Salem Health’s medical staff em- ployees, the rate is 90%, and for non-employed med- ical staff it’s 92%. Salem Health also supports changes to Oregon law that would allow health care systems to decide wheth- er to require mandatory vaccinations, Wood said. Salem Hospital has had one of the state’s longest and largest workplace COVID outbreaks, with 219 cases since May 2020. Officials at Silverton Hospital and at Santiam Hos- pital in Stayton did not respond to interview requests. A fourth wave of COVID, driven by the delta variant, threatens to overwhelm Oregon hospitals. There were 379 hospitalized patients with COVID Tuesday, far surpassing the 300 figure state officials have previously used to raise alarms about hospital ca- pacity. The Oregon Health Authority reported 1,575 new cases of COVID Tuesday, one of the highest daily case counts of the pandemic. In June, 92% of COVID cases and 94% of COVID deaths were among people who were not fully vacci- nated, state health officials said. Both the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems and the Oregon Nurses Association released statements supporting Brown’s vaccination directive. ONA called for health care employers to go further, ensuring paid time off for workers who experience side effects from COVID vaccinations. About 80% of registered nurses and nurse practi- tioners in Oregon have been vaccinated, ONA said Tracy Loew is a reporter at the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at tloew@statesmanjournal.com, 503-399-6779 or on Twitter at @Tracy_Loew.
