INSIDE
UNION CLAY TARGET TEAM FOCUSES ON TEAMWORK, GUN SAFETY DURING SPRING SEASON | SPORTS, A9
April 30, 2022
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WEEKEND EDITION
Trail trials:
First stage of MERA management project reaches
conclusion, draws mixed bag of reactions
By DAVIS CARBAUGH • The Observer
L
A GRANDE —
The first stage of a
highly debated forest
management project has reached
completion at the Mount Emily
Recreation Area.
The Red Apple Forest Management
project at MERA was introduced by
Union County for improving forest health
and reducing wildfi re risk as well as con-
ducting logging for profi t, with the pro-
ceeds going back into the recreation area.
The plan was the subject of a back-and-
forth debate for months, with numerous
citizens and residents of MERA con-
cerned for the safety and condition of
MERA’s trails, landscape and wildlife.
With this year’s section of forest manage-
ment work in the books, the county is set
to gather public input on the project at the
upcoming MERA Advisory Committee
meeting on Tuesday, May 3.
“We’re through about 50 acres of
300, so not much of a start, but it’s a
start,” Union County Parks Coordinator
Sean Chambers said. “I think it’s a lot of
work to get done, but I’m excited to keep
it going.”
ReedCo Forestry, of Union, agreed to
take the bid on Jan. 5 and began work on
the recreation area in early February —
the timber organization fi nished the fi rst
stage of the two-year project in roughly
one month. Chambers noted that the
contract period states two years of work
to be performed by ReedCo but that no
guarantees can be made for when the
project will be fully completed.
The project aims to limit wildlife
danger across the 300-acre Red Apple
area in the southeast section of the rec-
reation area. The work includes thin-
ning, mastication and removal of fuels.
According to Chambers, the fi nal rev-
enue from the logging portion of the
project will not be fully determined until
the project concludes.
The bulk of the fi rst phase of the
work took place off of the Igo Lane
entrance to MERA. Primary thinning
and logging was done in the area near
the Lower Hotshot, Skills and Bridleway
trails. The aff ected area will have no
future work, except for the burning of
large slash piles that will take place
early next winter.
“Part of the contract is the cleanup,
so the burning will be on the contractor.
We’ll follow up with some vegeta-
tion management that’s not on the con-
tractor,” Chambers said. “That will be
something the county coordinates with
other contractors or does ourselves.”
The timing of the project, which was
pushed back slightly to allow for more
Davis Carbaugh/The Observer
Tracks made by heavy logging machinery stand out against the green spring grass in the lower Mount Emily Recreation Area outside La Grande on
Friday, April 22, 2022, following the fi rst stage of the Red Apple Forest Management project.
MEETING INFORMATION
The MERA Advisory Committee Meeting is set
to take place at 6 p.m. on May 3. The public can
participate via Zoom or on Webinar at 819 8627
1962 with passcode 504707.
talked to, everyone is pleased with the
outcome and what’s been achieved.”
Local concerns
Davis Carbaugh/The Observer
Chopped trees line a section surrounding Lower Hotshot Trail at the Mount Emily Recreation
Area on Friday, April 22, 2022, following the completion of the fi rst stage of the Red Apple Forest
Management project outside La Grande. Union County Parks Coordinator Sean Chambers said
this winter’s batch of work saw 50 acres treated out of the 300-acre region of designated forest
management.
public feedback, was dependent on
frozen conditions in order to reduce the
impact on the land and trails.
Several trails saw damage as part
of the work, primarily with ruts from
machinery on the Bridleway and Lower
Hotshot trails. Logs and limbs from the
northern section of the work area were
moved to the lower Bridleway area. The
soil damage has drawn criticism from a
number of residents, a topic that will be
discussed at the upcoming MERA Advi-
sory Committee meeting.
“Those things do happen and it will
come back,” Chambers said. “From
all the professionals and feedback I’ve
Not everyone is pleased, however.
Bart Barlow, a member of the advi-
sory committee and resident of MERA,
reached out to the county to assist in
organizing local hikers, mountain bikers
and other members of the community
to repair damage to trails and mitigate
watershed soil and erosion impacts.
“If the county really cared about
MERA and the community, they would
schedule a walkover right now with the
public to explain what was done and to
learn what was good and what was bad
about it so that we don’t make this mis-
take again,” he said.
Barlow, who worked with Boise Cas-
cade when the company owned and
logged the area, stated his disagreement
with the logging methods used in the Igo
Lane area. He said disturbed soils, dis-
placed ground, compaction and runoff
could have been avoided.
See, MERA/Page A6
Forest’s fi ery plans might fi zzle out
By JAYSON JACOBY
Baker City Herald
BAKER CITY — Trevor
Lewis was almost ready to
start spreading fl ames when
the rain arrived.
The rain stopped, but it
was supplanted by snow.
Regardless of whether
the precipitation has been
liquid or frozen, there’s
simply been too much mois-
ture during April for Lewis
and other U.S. Forest Ser-
vice offi cials to begin their
ambitious plans for pre-
scribed burning on parts
of the Wallowa-Whitman
National Forest.
“Right now it’s just
too wet,” Lewis said on
Tuesday, April 26.
He’s an assistant fi re
management offi cer for the
Wallowa-Whitman’s Burnt
Powder Fire Zone, in the
fuels division.
Given ideal condi-
tions, forest managers had
hoped to light controlled
fi res on several thousand
acres around the south end
of the forest, including in
‘Back in prescription’
Lewis said that in early
April, with the snow line
receding and generally dry
See, Fire/Page A6
WEATHER
INDEX
Classified ......B2
Comics ...........B5
Crossword ....B2
Dear Abby ....B6
the Sumpter and Whitney
valley areas and in the
southern Wallowas around
Balm Creek Reservoir, Lily
White and Sparta Butte.
Conditions have not
been ideal. Far closer to the
opposite, in fact.
But it didn’t start that
way.
Horoscope ....B4
Local...............A2
Lottery ...........A2
Obituaries .....A5
Opinion .........A4
Outdoors ......B1
Sports ............A9
Sudoku ..........B5
Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald, File
A La Grande Hot Shot fi refi ghter uses a drip torch to ignite dry
grass during a prescribed fi re near Phillips Reservoir on April 15,
2021. Conditions have been too wet so far this spring for prescribed
burning.
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Sunday
41 LOW
57/40
Cloudy, a shower
Partly sunny
CONTACT US
541-963-3161
Issue 52
2 sections, 16 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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