February 5, 2016
9
CapitalPress.com
California
7KLQQLQJLPSURYHVIRUHVWKHDOWKEXWFDQLPSDFWZLOGOLIHVWXG\¿QGV
Subscribe to our weekly California email
newsletter at CapitalPress.com/newsletters
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
'$9,6&DOLI²&OHDULQJ
shrubs and woody debris from
IRUHVWÀRRUVFDQLPSURYHWUHH
JURZWK HI¿FLHQF\ DQG UHGXFH
WKHVHYHULW\RIZLOG¿UHV8QL-
YHUVLW\RI&DOLIRUQLDVFLHQWLVWV
concluded after a 10-year
study of forest management.
+RZHYHU IRUHVW PDQDJHUV
must also consider a thinning
project’s impact on wildlife
that rely on dense forest areas
for habitat, the scientists ob-
VHUYHG
For instance, treatments
must be done outside protect-
HGDFWLYLW\FHQWHUVIRUWKH&DO-
ifornia spotted owl and away
IURP 3DFL¿F ¿VKHU GHQV EXW
should be close enough to pre-
YHQW KLJKVHYHULW\ ZLOG¿UHV
NQRZQ DERXW SURSRVHG )RUHVW
6HUYLFH ODQGVFDSH PDQDJH-
Sierra Nevada Adaptive
ment treatments for them to
Management Project: http://
be implemented in Sierra Ne-
snamp.cnr.berkeley.edu
YDGDIRUHVWV
³7KHUH ZDV YHU\ FOHDU
from burning those areas, the HYLGHQFH WKDW WKH IXHOV WUHDW-
scientists wrote.
ments really did demonstrate
The
recommendations WKH SRWHQWLDO WR FKDQJH ¿UH
were among 31 points of con- EHKDYLRUDQGUHGXFHLQFLGHQWV
sensus outlined in a 1,000- RIFDWDVWURSKLF¿UHDORQJZLWK
SDJH ¿QDO UHSRUW IURP WKH WKHORVVHVDI¿OLDWHGZLWKWKRVH
6LHUUD1HYDGD$GDSWLYH0DQ- ¿UHV´ VDLG .LPEHUO\ 5R-
agement Project, which the drigues, a UC forest resourc-
UC conducted at the request HVH[SHUWZKRZRUNHGRQWKH
RIWKH86)RUHVW6HUYLFHWKH project.
86 )LVK DQG :LOGOLIH 6HU-
“I’m hopeful that the For-
YLFHDQGWKH&DOLIRUQLD1DWX- HVW6HUYLFHLVWUXO\FRPPLWWHG
ral Resources Agency.
to engaging with the com-
The researchers — which munities” near forests, she
included an outreach team VDLG³,WKLQNWKHUHDUHGLVWULFW
that hosted public meetings rangers in California who are
DQG¿HOGWULSVLQWKHZRRGV² absolutely committed and are
concluded that enough is now GRLQJ WKDW NLQG RI FROODERUD-
Online
WLYHZRUNZLWKWKHFRPPXQLW\
to integrate local impact.”
7KH)RUHVW6HUYLFHZDQWHG
D FRPSUHKHQVLYH XQLYHUVLW\
VWXG\ DIWHU SURSRVLQJ LQ
to use fuel reduction treatments
— such as prescribed burning,
mechanical thinning and har-
YHVWLQJFHUWDLQWUHHV²LQVWUD-
tegically placed areas to slow
GRZQ ZLOG¿UHV DQG LPSURYH
forest health, UC experts said.
The project was funded with
$15 million in grants, mainly
IURPWKH)RUHVW6HUYLFH
In their 14-page response
to the UC’s report, the re-
source agencies noted that in-
formation from the scientists
was immediately useful to
forest managers. For exam-
ple, California’s Department
RI)LVKDQG:LOGOLIHVWDWHGWKH
research helped them adapt to
changing conditions in the for-
ests.
The report comes amid in-
creasing calls for better forest
PDQDJHPHQW DIWHU GHYDVWDW-
LQJ ZLOG¿UHV LQ UHFHQW \HDUV
WKURXJKRXWWKH:HVWLQFOXGLQJ
in California, where two major
¿UHVODVWVXPPHUFDXVHGPRUH
than $1 billion in insured loss-
HVDQGPRUHWKDQELOOLRQLQ
total losses, according to the
state’s insurance department.
Legislation to protect the
)RUHVW 6HUYLFH¶V IRUHVWPDQ-
agement funds from being
XVHGWRFRYHU¿UH¿JKWLQJFRVW
RYHUUXQV ZDV OHIW RXW RI WKH
$1.1 trillion omnibus federal
VSHQGLQJELOODSSURYHGLQ'H-
cember.
Susan Kocher, a UC Co-
RSHUDWLYH ([WHQVLRQ IRUHVWU\
DGYLVHUZKROHGWKHSXEOLFRXW-
reach team in the last two years
of the project, said the report
showed that different objec-
WLYHVLQWKHIRUHVWFDQFRQÀLFW
HYHQ WKRXJK WKH H[SHUWV GLG
WKHLUEHVWWRSURYLGH³ZLQZLQ
recommendations.”
Kocher said in an email the
WHDP PD\ KRVW DQ HYHQW QH[W
IDOOWRFKHFNLQZLWKUHVRXUFHV
to see if the science is being in-
corporated in projects.
“My hope is that the report
will be used to inform direc-
tion of national forest man-
agement throughout the Sier-
UD 1HYDGD UHJLRQ DV D ZKROH
EXW , WKLQN IRU WKDW WR KDSSHQ
there would need to be an ac-
WLYHSURFHVVE\ZKLFKUHJLRQDO
managers incorporate the rec-
RPPHQGDWLRQVDQG,KDYHQRW
heard of any such forum being
planned,” she said.
305 bulls sell for $1.49 million at Red Bluff sale 6LHUUD3DFL¿F,QGXVWULHVWR
close California sawmill
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
RED BLUFF, Calif. — Con-
signers at this year’s 75th annual
Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale
said they expected this year’s
prices to come close to matching
last year’s record receipts.
They were right.
Bidders shelled out nearly
$1.49 million for 305 bulls on
-DQ FDSSLQJ ¿YH GD\V RI
OLYHVWRFN DXFWLRQV DQG RWKHU
DFWLYLWLHVDWWKH7HKDPD'LVWULFW
Fairgrounds. The top-priced bull
was a Simmental named My
%URNHUZKLFKVROGIRU
WR .HQ DQG $UWLV )DXONPHU RI
Powell Butte, Ore.
The haul nearly matched
last year’s all-time high total of
PLOOLRQIRUEXOOVWKDW
passed through the Don Smith
3DYLOLRQ :LQQLQJ ELGV DYHU-
DJHG WKLV \HDU FRP-
SDUHGWRDQDYHUDJHRI
SHUEXOOLQ
0HUOH(DNLQRZQHURI/D]\
- 5HG $QJXV LQ 3ULQHYLOOH
Ore., was selling 10 bulls in
the auction and expected pric-
es to be fairly strong.
This was the sixth straight
year the bull sale topped the
PLOOLRQ PDUN 7KLV \HDU¶V
total was the second-highest
HYHU EHDWLQJ WKH PLOOLRQ
FROOHFWHGIRUEXOOVLQ
The bull sale was the last of
IRXUDXFWLRQVODVWZHHNLQ5HG
Bluff. The bidding began with
the eighth annual online feeder
and replacement heifer sale on
-DQLQZKLFKDERXWORWV
were sold.
/RWV LQ WKH :HVWHUQ 9LGHR
0DUNHWKRVWHG VDOH ZHQW IRU
DVPXFKDVSHUKXQGUHG-
weight for weaned heifers and
SHU KXQGUHGZHLJKW IRU
weaned steers — well below
last year’s high prices per hun-
Tim Hearden/Capital Press GUHGZHLJKWRIDQG
Merle Eakin, owner of Lazy J Red Angus in Prineville, Ore., looks
UHVSHFWLYHO\
over his bulls at the 75th annual Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale
The 104 geldings auctioned
on Jan. 29 in Red Bluff, Calif.
RII-DQJHQHUDWHG
in combined sales, besting last
“They’re an awfully good to approach last year’s totals.
\HDU¶V WRWDO RI IRU
set of bulls and they graded ex-
³3ULFHV KDYH EHHQ VWHDG\´ KRUVHV 7KLV \HDU¶V DYHUDJH RI
WUHPHO\ZHOO´VDLG(DNLQZKRVH he said before this year’s sale. $10,070 per horse topped last
SRXQG EXOO +RUDFH ZDV D “In general, cow prices are year’s $9,531. The high-selling
grand champion in its class.
down a little bit from a year ago, horse was bought for $35,000
5REE\ +DUIVW RZQHU RI but they’re still pretty strong … by Trenton McCuen of Loomis,
+DUIVW +HUHIRUGV LQ -DFNVRQ- People still need bulls to breed Calif., and four other geldings
YLOOH2UHDOVRH[SHFWHGSULFHV their cows.”
VROGIRUPRUHWKDQ
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
ARCATA, Calif. — Re-
GXFHGWLPEHUKDUYHVWVDQGD
GLIILFXOWOXPEHUPDUNHWZLOO
force Sierra Pacific Indus-
tries to close its 55-year-old
VDZPLOODIIHFWLQJMREV
the company announced.
The largest factor in the
closure was that the type
DQGVL]HRIORJVWKDWWKHPLOO
FXWVZHUHQ¶WDYDLODEOHLQDG-
equate supply from the re-
JLRQ 63, VSRNHVPDQ 0DUN
3DZOLFNLVDLG
The company tried to
NHHS WKH $UFDWD PLOO UXQ-
ning by bringing in logs
from the interior of Cal-
ifornia and barging them
from British Columbia and
:DVKLQJWRQ VWDWH EXW WKRVH
HIIRUWV SURYHG WR EH XQHFR-
nomical, company officials
said.
“This is a particularly
sad day for Sierra Pacif-
ic and for my family,” SPI
Chairman and President
Emeritus A.A. “Red” Em-
merson said in a statement.
“Our company started in the
Arcata area when my farther
and I leased our first mill
there in 1949 near Jacoby
&UHHN
³:HZHQWRQWREXLOGWKH
Arcata mill on the Samoa
3HQLQVXODZKLFKZH¶YHUXQ
steady since 1951,” he said.
Crew members are being
offered jobs elsewhere in
the company as well as relo-
cation assistance, a news re-
lease said. SPI has 13 other
sawmills in California and
:DVKLQJWRQ LQFOXGLQJ D
new one being built in Shel-
WRQ:DVKDQGKDVZLQGRZ
renewable power, sales and
lumber remanufacturing fa-
cilities in multiple states,
the release said.
In all, the Anderson, Ca-
lif.-based company employs
more than 4,500 crew mem-
bers and owns and manag-
es 1.9 million acres of tim-
berland in California and
:DVKLQJWRQ
6-4/#4N