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About Applegater. (Jacksonville, OR) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2017)
18 Spring 2017 Applegater Upper Applegate Demonstration Treatment Units BY DON BOUCHER On December 9, 2016, personnel at the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest gave Applegate residents a tour of the Upper Applegate Demonstration Units so they could review and discuss the treatments and study methodology. Over 20 people attended the field trip. The Upper Applegate Demonstration Units were designed to evaluate fuel and restoration treatments in a statistically creditable way. Crossing the boundaries of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and US Forest Service (USFS) land, these demonstration sites serve as locations for tours to engage stakeholders. On these sites, four treatment alternatives were replicated eight times on ten-acre units in a blocked experimental design. Units and permanent plots were established and measured in 2005 with noncommercial treatments completed between then and 2016. Planned merchantable tree removal will be completed in spring 2017, and plots will be measured after treatment. This work overlaps the Upper Applegate Road project on USFS lands, approved by the National Environmental Policy Act. These demonstration units will provide opportunities for public engagement, dialogue, and understanding of alternative fuels and restoration treatments with carefully designed, side-by-side examples. The field trip in December stimulated many informative and valuable discussions regarding the demonstration units. Some comments focused on overall management of USFS lands. We heard that, in general, Applegate residents support active management with a strong preference for comprehensive restoration that includes attention to the understory, invasive species control, and native plant seeding. Field trip participants wanted treatments to focus on meeting fuel- reduction and restoration objectives while minimizing impacts. Additionally, participants expressed a strong desire that we review and monitor past units where thinning has occurred. The protection and retention of legacy trees (including hardwoods) was widely supported, and there appeared to be some support for a skips-and- gaps approach to treatments. The herbaceous monitoring component of the demonstration plots was of interest, especially the preservation of the herbaceous understory in clumps. The use of plastic to cover slash piles was another topic of discussion. Several people were quite adamant that the use of plastic could be a “wall” to community support and suggested that the USFS test the efficacy of alternatives such as Kraft paper or no cover. The USFS recognizes that public support depends on careful project implementation and contract oversight for cleanup of polyethylene and the prevention of undesirable impacts. Participants expressed the importance of burning piles within two years and removing plastic from any piles left unburned. Testing different methods fits well with the concept of adaptive management, and we will be looking at ways we can address the concern of plastic-covered slash piles. The USFS will finalize treatment prescriptions for the various demonstration units this spring. Then a comment period will allow the community to review and comment on the prescriptions and on the designation of trees to be cut. Some time in March, Restaurant open 4 - 9 pm, Wednesday - Sunday L odge and Restaurant open a 7 week days a week Lodge open 7 days H appy H our from 3 - 5 pm daily Wednesday Night Live Music, open till 11 pm Local T musicians jam in restaurant on Sunday uesday reduced rates on entrees W ednesday Lodge N ight 541-846-6690 L ive M usic, open till 1 1 pm Restaurant 541-846-6082 Wedding/Special Events 541-660-0244 www.applegateriverlodge.com Advertisers ! For rates and other information, contact: Ron Turpen 541-601-1867 ronaldaturpen@gmail.com Next deadline: May 1 The Four Treatment Alternatives Control No treatment Fuels Thinning Thin from below Retain consistent canopy cover Minimal Fuels Thin only fuels <7” in diameter at breast height Ecological Restoration Restore fire resistance Promote early seral tree species Emphasize spatial patterning Thin to reference densities the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest will hold a workshop to explain how the trees are designated and offer the community another chance to review and comment on the marking of trees. The USFS also hopes to give community members a chance to do some sample marking so they can experience the process of deciding which trees are cut. The plan of the demonstration project includes using some abandoned ditch lines as trails for access to the units to facilitate review of the treatments, though there is currently no formal decision in place to do so. An environmental analysis would be needed first. Comments during the field trip suggested that the USFS needs to consider how to prevent motorized use of these trails. We are hoping to implement the demonstration units in the late spring or early summer. During implementation, we will provide opportunities for community members to view operations as well as to review units post-treatment. We are in the process of preparing a website where background information and monitoring results will be available. If you have questions, comments, or other thoughts, please feel free to contact me. Don Boucher 541-899-3840 Stewardship Coordinator Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest dboucher@fs.fed.us