A CKEEK K UNS THKOUCH I T
by
Shelley M ajrrs and Susan OBanion
the complex habitat of an older forest to provide a healthy
riparian zone conducive to future salmonid regeneration
BUFFERS
The privately owned forested lands surrounding
Cannon Beach are going to be harvested Manv of these
lands have not been logged h r approximately 45 years
There are many questions being asked w ithin and around
the community about Who owns these private lands?
How much do they own? When and where w ill harvesting
take place? The logging methods being considered are
raising concerns about land use and the impact this w ill
have on Cannon Beach s watershed stability and public
health This article is an attempt to slop the rumors,
clarify define, and present alternatives to these logging
activities
PROPRIETY
The ownership of forestlands adiacent to Cannon Beach
consist of 66 acres of city land. «00 acres of Clatsop State
Forestland (ownership pending*) w ith Cavenham Forest
Industries owning the remaining m ajority, totalling
175.000 acres in Clatsop County
Hanson PLC. an international industrial management
company based in the United kingdom and United States,
bought Cavenham Forest Inc from Sir James Goldsmith on
December sixth. 1990 Renamed Cavenham Forest
Industries, a division of Hanson, they currently own I 75
m illion acres in the northwestern and southeastern US,
making it the nation s sixth larges, private timberland
holder
watershed 2 The whole region or area contributing to
the supply of a river or lake drainage area
Wet)¡tec i few Collegiate Dictionary
The sources of Cannon Beach s water supply are
heated in the forestlands behind the town The city s 66
acres contain underground springs which provide Cannon
Beach w ith its prim ary drinking water The Elk (Ecola)
Creek watershed. Cannon Beach s reserve water source,
runs predominately through Cavenham land As the
resident and visitor populations increase, so w ill Cannon
Beach s dependency upon the Elk Creek watershed
Water is a physical necessity of life Naturally clean
water, a nonrenewable resource is decreasing in amount
and availability. ,t is a priceless commodity to fish and
wildlife, as well as humans The forested areas along
streams and rivers hold the key to protecting water
quality and water flow These areas, known as riparian
zones, provide an important source of year round water
supply which act as a sponge soaking in water during the
w inter months and slowly releasing it throughout the
year The protective cover offered by forests in critical
riparian and upslope zones are necessary for prevention
of landslides, mass movement of soils, and erosion
Riparian zones help keep water temperatures cool,
therefore decreasing populations of organisms and
bacteria, harmful to both fish and humans They act as
buffers and filters against siltation as well as provide and
store nutrients needed by aquatic and terrestrial
ecosystems In addition, riparian zones provide the
structures and food sources needed for successful
spawning of native fish species I Forest Conservation
Council. 1992)
W IL D S A LM O N ID S
A statewide study of 300 watersheds conducted by the
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife(ODFW). has
defined Elk Creek as a critical, relatively intact
watershed The Elk Creek drainage contains no hatchery
fish stock native to this system all species are wild
Despite previous clearcuttmg. natural regrowth has
occurred in the Elk Creek watershed, this has permitted a
healthy, biodiverse coastal forest habitat and wild
salmonid population to revive Currently, some of the
watershed s tim ber is of mature age for harvest,
commercial thinning is now taking place
According to the ODFW w ild species of coho (near
endangerment), fall chmook wunter steelhead sea run
cutthroat, and resident cutthroat currently use Elk Creek
as residence and spawning pools Although these
salmonid populations are substantial when compared
statewide, their numbers are not enough to guarantee
survival of a commercial clearcut These w ild fish need
& orrtK Ltrr r&Gf my to
The Forest Practice Rules which regulate forest
operations on private and state lands, stale that riparian
management areas (buffer strips), protective areas
adjacent to an area requiring protection* such as riparian
zones have been mandated for Class I and Class II
streams Elk Creek is a designated Class I stream which
currently requires that a buffer zone be three times the
w idth of the stream but shall no, average less than 25
feet or more than 100 feet Although buffer zones are
required to protect a given area, this does no, mean that
they remain untouched
In the FPA rules under 629-24-546 PROTECTION OF
W ATERS OF THE ST ATE. operators shall
3 ta> Maintain an average of 75% of the preoperation
shade over the aquatic area along Class 1 waters,
(b, Retain at leas, 5 0 t of the preoperation tree
canopy in the riparian area along Class I water
H A R V E S TIN G
Bob Teagle. Cavenham s Area Forester, assures that the
company s operations stick closely to the FPA s minimum
requirements in harvesting their tree farms
Cavenham s current tree harvest rotation is
approximately every 45 55 years They implement three
interval methods of harvest pre commercial thinning,
commercial thinning and clearcutting
Pre commercial thinning takes place between the ages
of 12 I « years The purpose of thinning these areas is to
remove undesirable trees, leaving their remnants to
nourish the soils for those remaining As a result, the
higher yielding trees have more eiposure to the elements
allowing greater growth productivity
Commercial thinning occurs between the ages of 35 45
years of age Teagle explained that this process allows
sunlight to pass through the canopy providing increased
growth space for the bigger, healthier trees therefore
maximizing growth and yield He also stated that this
w'ould be the predominate method used in logging the Elk
Creek Watershed and drainage When logging steep areas
around a stream, company practices use a cable eitended
over the stream to lift trees across, or they build more
roads to prevent crossing Dragging logs across the
stream bed is prohibited by Forest Practice Rules
Ciearcutting is Cavenham s final harvesting stage It
usually occurs between the ages of 45-55 years A clear
cut leaves fewer than 50 trees per acre In accordance
w ith Senate Bill 1125, the maximum area of a clearcut
mav not exceed 120 acres SB I 125 also states that a 300
foot buffer mus, remain between clearcuts
Clearcuttmg is the predominant silviculture (the art
and science of growing trees) system throughout Oregon
In the short term it reduces problems for lim ber
industries by expediting operations They save thé cost of
selecting trees to be cut and don t have to excercise
caution to avoid trees that w ill not Also, many industry
specialists agree that clearcuttmg generates the most
profits, leads to better harvests, and is the only
economically feasible harvest technique in areas, like
Clatsop County where maximum timber production is the
goal (Schultz, 1990) In the long term, however
clearcuttmg impairs productivity of the land by causing
accelerated erosion and loss of lop soil, stripping away
essential nutrients It also impairs the habitat that is
essentia, for the survival of various w ildlife species, as
well as increasing hazards of insects and diseases, this
names just a few
A L T E R N A T IV E METHODS
Over the years, the Northwest lim ber industry has
experimented w ith other harvest methods The most
common are small patch or strip clearcuttmg, the
shelterwood method, the seed tree method, and the
selection method
Small patch lessens the impact of clearcuttmg by
reducing the area cut at any one time The total cut is the
same but broken into smaller patches and strips The
shelterwood method removes all canopy trees, but in
several cuttings over several years The seed tree method
also leaves selected trees standing to provide seed
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