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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 2004)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, May 5, 2004 Page 14 Potential effects of global warming debated at woodlands annual meet By SHANE WELSH Staff Writer “People who have woodlands need to think about this problem: what to do about global warm- ing,” said Tom Atzet, a retired U.S. Forest Service employee. He spoke during the annual meeting of Jose- phine County Small Woodlands Association in Grants Pass to discuss pro- posed Biscuit Fire timber salvage. Guest speakers who took opposing sides of the “debate” were forest ecolo- gist Tom Atzet, and Ro- main Cooper, Siskiyou Project representative. Atzet briefly presented data from the perspective of the forest industry, which demonstrated global warming and how it will affect climate and forest management. “There is little doubt that global warming is tak- ing place. The question is, where are we going from here?” posed Atzet. “In terms of small woodlands, we should con- sider what types of trees and vegetation will work best as global warming becomes a more predomi- nant factor,” said Atzet. Atzet noted that, “with the increase in temperature all over the world, we are seeing lower lows, and higher highs. “There are increases in precipitation that we have not seen before. Part of what we are seeing in our forests can be explained by differences in temperature, and the effects of global warming,” he said. “We will be seeing deeper freezes that may last longer into the spring than in the past. A lot of species (of trees) are going to be in big trouble be- cause we have oscillations in temperature that we haven’t seen before,” said Atzet. “The Manzanita and Ceanothus species are California-related and very well adapted to low water and high temperatures,” he said. “Oaks are the same way; they are a species that are more abundant in Cali- fornia (where the tempera- ture is higher on average).” Possible climate changes could affect forest conditions. “In order to maintain soil and forest productiv- ity, these types of species are going to be very valu- able here if we have global warming and more drought during summers,” said Atzet. Atzet suggested that climate changes could ad- versely affect forests, caus- ing hotter blazes like those of the 500,000-acre Biscuit Fire that threatened Illinois Valley with evacuation two years ago. Cooper’s presentation focused on the Siskiyou Project’s perspective on Biscuit Fire salvage opera- tions. “We have to figure out what is in the public inter- est,” he said. “Biscuit Fire was a very wild fire,” said Coo- per. “It was ignited by lightning instead of hu- mans, and it burned over what is largely a natural area; the Kalmiopsis Wil- derness. “Only 22 percent of the fire burned in logged and roaded landscapes,” he said. “Federal agencies such as the forest service have to go through a process we call NEPA or National En- vironmental Policy Act. What this entails in any project is that an agency asks citizens about their concerns, analyzes data and comes out with a pro- posed action for what they would like to do. “Then they use this information to develop an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS),” ex- plained Cooper. “When the draft EIS was released, the U.S. For- est Service offered what they called a preferred al- ternative...for what they felt was the best alternative to managing the Biscuit salvage. “The way Siskiyou Project categorized this draft EIS was that it was very heavy on post-fire logging. “This proposal recom- mended logging 15,000 acres,” he said. “We felt there were strong risks in taking that much wood off of that much landscape.” Instead, “We offered up an alternative that stressed natural recovery. It wasn’t black-and-white; it didn’t say we don’t want to plant anything, or we don’t want to log anything. We (Siskiyou Project) con- tinued to stress natural re- covery on the land; most of which has never been logged. We want to see the ecosystem continue to evolve as it has for thou- sands of years.” “We feel that it’s really hard with our lim- ited knowledge to know what is best vegetatively for the future. This is a very special place and we want to keep it functioning naturally. “We are still waiting for a final EIS,” added Cooper. THE CHATEAU UNVEILED - The Chateau at Oregon Caves National Monument, 20 miles east of Cave Junction, held its preview grand opening on Friday, April 30 (photo below). Fine dining is available daily from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Caves Diner, a 1930s-style coffee shop and fountain, is open Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. In top photo (from left) Emily Ring, gift shop aide; Josiah Dean, Chateau general manager; Ron Phillips, executive director of I.V. Community Response Team/Oregon Caves Outfitters; and Rebecca Pearson, Gift Gallery coordinator, and staff are ready for the season. For more information, see the ad on this page. This election is about what we can do for the future ... • Ensure safe neighborhoods. O’Brien temporary head of county health Leslee O’Brien has been appointed interim director for Josephine County Public Health Dept. Josephine County Board of Commissioners appointed O’Brien to re- place Pam Dykes, who accepted a position at Ben- ton County Health Dept., effective May 1. O’Brien’s credentials include Oregon and Cali- fornia registered nurse li- censure, California Com- munity College lifetime teaching credential, and certified professional in health-care quality. She received her mas- ter of science degree in nursing administration in 1993 from California State University, Dominguez Hills. The interim director position will include ad- ministration of the follow- ing department divisions: Public Health, Environ- mental Health, Animal Protection and Regulation, and Correctional Health. Elementary Schools Menu Sponsored by • Develop responsible county employee pay and benefit plans. • Facilitate citizen involvement in county government. “My vision of the future is not limited by what others think is impossible.” - Cherryl Walker ‘Illinois Valley News’ 321 S. Redwood Hwy. 592-2541 THURSDAY, MAY 6 *Corn dog, cheeseburger, pepperoni pizza, super sub sandwich, garden salad FRIDAY, MAY 7 *Nachos, hamburger, cheese stix, turkey & cheese sandwich, chicken Caesar salad MONDAY, MAY 10 *Bean & cheese burrito, hamburger, cheese pizza, peanut butter & jelly sand- wich, chef salad TUESDAY, MAY 11 *Munchable lunch, cheeseburger, pepperoni pizza, ham & cheese sandwich, garden salad WEDNESDAY, MAY 12 *Hot diggity dog, hamburger, cheese pizza, poor boy sandwich, Cobb salad 1-541-476-2127 Don’t drink and drive “Cherryl fights for our farms, forests and rural way of life. She is the only elected official who has ever truly represented me and my family.” - John Malkow Farmer, U.S. Army Veteran & Writer Cherryl Walker, as independent as you. Paid for by Cherryl Walker for County Commissioner · PO Box 167, Murphy, OR 97533 Nobody has measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold. - Zelda Fitzgerald - Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations. - Faith Baldwin -