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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 24, 2021)
2B | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2021 | APPEAL TRIBUNE Young kids enjoy the snow while looking for a good Christmas tree to cut from Oregon’s Willamette National Forest. ZACH URNESS/STATESMAN JOURNAL Ornaments Continued from Page 1B Get a map After printing the permit, make sure to head online to print or view a map that shows where harvest is le- gal and not legal. There remain large area closures fol- lowing the Labor Day Fires — including the popular Breitenbush corridor north of Detroit. It’s also impor- tant to check on snow conditions before heading out. In addition to purchasing the permits online, you can also get permits from many local outdoor shops from Bi-Mart to local businesses in the Santiam Can- yon. The maps lay it out pretty well, but in the field, re- member harvest is prohibited around campgrounds and within 50 feet of trails and paved roads. It’s a good idea to bring a Forest Service map for proper naviga- tion. Tree and map homework While you’re preparing for your trip, make sure to scan the rules, including which trees you’re allowed to cut. Noble, pacific silver, Douglas and grand firs are the varieties you’re allowed to harvest. I’d take the time to research how to identify them, especially their nee- dles, since the ones you’ll be cutting are smaller than 15 feet and the differences are not always obvious. I’ll usually take a screen shot of pictures of the tree on my phone so I can refer back to it once we’re out in the field. Likewise, trees you’re not allowed to take include whitebark pine, western white pine or Pacific yew. They’re somewhat rare, and fairly obvious, but it’s worth knowing what they look like. Only take trees 15 feet or shorter and take the whole tree. Cutting off the top half is prohibited, but happens frequently when lazy tree hunters find a big tree and cut off the top eight feet, leaving a sad-looking half tree behind. Of the 200 ornaments hidden along trails in the Willamette Valley this year, all of them come with both a wooden ornament and a leather patch. PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY VISITORS ASSOCIATION search for ornaments Gearing up for the snow and picking a location There are millions of trees in the forest, but to find the much-beloved noble, pacific silver or grand firs, and you generally have to explore higher than 3,500 feet. Typically, people simply head into the mountains and head down open Forest Service Roads and look for winners. However, this time of year, that can mean heading into the snow, depending on the weather. That means preparing for winter driving and poten- tially snowshoeing. Although there isn’t a ton of snow in the mountains quite yet, it could come anytime and you never know what you’ll find. If the snow is deep and forest roads aren’t safe for driving, it makes sense to buy a sno-park permit through the DMV website. They offer great winter ac- cess and recreation across the state and cost $25 for a full year or $5 for one day. That way, you can park at the sno-park lot and simply head out in safety. In other situations, simply find a place to park on a safe shoulder along the road and head out into the for- est. Either way, happy hunting! After you get a tree Due to the holiday, our offi ce hours and obituary placement times may vary. Please contact us at 503-399-6789 or obituary@statesmanjournal.com for further details. OR-GCI0718270-01 For the fourth year, 200 ornaments have been hid- den along trails in the Willamette Valley for people venturing outdoors to find. The wooden ornaments are hidden along non-wil- derness trails in the Willamette National Forest, as well as a couple in the Umpqua National Forest. The specific trails are listed online and the ornaments are placed along a variety of them, so that people of all abilities can participate. The ornament hunt began on Nov. 12 and runs through Jan. 1, after which any remaining ornaments will be removed. Those who find one are encouraged to take it home and hang it on their trees or elsewhere. This year, those who find an ornament can also en- ter a raffle to win one of several prizes from the Wil- lamette Valley Visitors Association. The grand prize is comprised of a $500 gift certificate to Chehalem Ridge Bed and Breakfast, as well as $100 to spend at busi- nesses in downtown McMinnville. The three other prizes that ornament finders can win are a $150 gift certificate for Our Table Coopera- tive, a family pass to the Cascades Raptor Center and a $75 gift card for businesses in downtown Corvallis, plus two passes to the Benton County Historical Soci- ety’s Corvallis Museum. To enter the competition, the finder must log the or- nament’s unique code online. Each ornament will have specific instructions attached to it, along with an en- graved leather patch. More information about the program can be found at willamettevalley.org/or nament/ People are also encouraged to post pictures of their adventures online, using the hashtags: #FindYourOr- nament, #FindYourTrail, #IwonderWV, #PNWwon- derland and #WillametteNationalForest. This tradition began back in 2018, when the Wil- lamette National Forest provided the holiday tree to the U.S. Capitol. Ornaments were hidden along trails to encourage people to explore and support their out- doors and the tradition has continued since then. Where can ornaments be found? Ornaments can be found on the following trails in the Willamette National Forest: h Gordon Lakes Trail #3386 h Hackleman Old Growth Trail #3411 (family- friendly) h Tombstone Nature Trail #3420 h Santiam Wagon Road: Mountain House Section h House Rock Trail #3406 h Yukwah Nature Trail #3421 (family-friendly) h Walton Ranch Interpretive Trail #4170 (family- friendly) h Tamolitch Falls (Blue Pool) #3507 h Waterfalls Loop Trail #3503 h King-Castle Trail #4326 h North Fork Trail #3666 h Greenwaters Trail #4250 (family-friendly) h Larison Rock Trail #3607 h Hardesty Trail #3469 And trails in the Umpqua National Forest: h Brice Creek Trail #1403 h Upper Trestle Creek Trail #1403D Eddy Binford-Ross is the Outdoors Intern at the Statesman Journal. Contact her at ebinfor- dross@statesmanjournal .com or follow on Twitter @eddybinford ross. Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Ore- gon for 13 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Pod- cast. Urness can be reached at zurness@Statesman Journal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.
