2A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2017
Project saved homes from fi res, but can it be duplicated?
Buffer zone
around Sisters
By ANDREW SELSKY
Associated Press
SISTERS — Lightning
started a forest fi re one August
afternoon near this tour-
ist town, and it was spread-
ing fast. Residents in outly-
ing areas evacuated as fl ames
marched toward their homes.
Just a few months earlier,
the U.S. Forest Service and a
group of locals representing
environmental, logging and
recreational interests arranged
to thin part of the overgrown
forest, creating a buffer zone
around Sisters.
Workers removed trees
and brush with machines, then
came through on foot to ignite
prescribed burns. That effort
saved homes, and perhaps the
community of 2,500 on the
eastern slopes of the Cascade
Range, by slowing the fi re’s
progress and allowing fi re-
fi ghters to corral it.
Scrutiny of the condition
of the American West’s for-
ests, and of policies that cur-
tailed logging and suppressed
wildfi res, has intensifi ed amid
a devastating wildfi re sea-
son that has burned a com-
Alexandra Steinmetz/Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project
The thinning of forests in central Oregon has saved homes amid one of the most devas-
tating wildfire seasons in the American West.
bined area bigger than Mary-
land and caused widespread
destruction in California’s
wine country.
Until the advent of aggres-
sive fi re suppression at the
turn of the last century, forests
were historically shaped by
low-intensity blazes, with the
fl ames clearing underbrush
but not killing tall trees. For-
ests across the West are now
so overgrown they’ve been
called powder kegs.
Normally bitter
enemies
The work by the Deschutes
Collaborative Forest Project in
central Oregon, where towns
and subdivisions sit in a green
ocean of Ponderosa and lodge-
pole pines, shows the poten-
tial of forest thinning. And it
shows how loggers and envi-
ronmentalists — normally bit-
ter enemies — can join forces.
But it also highlights the
challenges of replicating the
forest thinning across the
West, where a lack of timber
workers and money are among
the obstacles.
On a recent morning, For-
est Service fi re manager James
Osborne drove into a section
of the Deschutes National
Forest outside Sisters that was
thinned in May. Widely spaced
Ponderosas were blackened
to twice the height of a per-
son. But higher up, the bark
retained its normal orangey
color. Needle clusters shone
vibrant green in the sunshine.
Four deer trotted through dap-
pled sunlight. This part of
the forest looked healthy, not
despite of, but due to, the pre-
scribed burn.
“Ponderosa pines are
used to low-intensity fi res,”
Osborne said. “Every fi ve to
15 years, a fi re would come
through. We’re trying to take
it back to low-intensity fi res.”
California’s situation is dif-
ferent because its wildfi res
have generally ignited in chap-
arral — brush that naturally
grows densely packed, said
Andrew Latimer, plant expert
at the University of California,
Davis. The temperate conifer-
ous forests that burn in large
wildfi res elsewhere are histor-
ically less dense.
It is the goal of the
Deschutes Collaborative, one
of 23 projects in the Collabo-
rative Forest Landscape Res-
toration program created in
2009 by Congress, to restore
central Oregon forests to their
natural state. Overcoming sus-
picions and stereotypes was
one of its fi rst hurdles.
Deschutes Collaborative
member Marilyn Miller, an
environmentalist, and former
member Chuck Burley, who
then worked for an Oregon
sawmill, used to call each other
names, Miller recalled during
a recent tour of Deschutes
Collaborative projects. But
they got to know each other
in Bend, home to more micro-
breweries per capita than any-
where else in America.
“I hate to say this, but beer
really is a good conversa-
tion starter,” Miller said. “We
would sit and talk. We learned
we’re real humans with real
concerns, and what we care
about isn’t that far apart.”
Burley,
who’s
now
employed with the Forest Ser-
vice, said the Deschutes Col-
laborative made recommenda-
tions on where and how much
to thin, and the Forest Service
almost always adopted them.
“They had a consensus, a
starting point,” Burley said in
a phone interview.
Governor’s support
Gov. Kate Brown, a Dem-
ocrat, applauds collabora-
tive efforts, including the
Good Neighbor Authority
under which states can orga-
nize restoration of federal
lands. Under the programs, a
mill removes the timber after
agreeing to buy it at a cer-
tain rate. The proceeds stay
local, helping fi nance more
restoration.
FIVE-DAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA
TONIGHT
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
59
48
49
Becoming cloudy with
occasional rain late
Periods of rain
ALMANAC
Windy with periods of rain
Newport
47/59
First
Eugene
41/65
Full
Oct 27
Coos Bay
44/64
Last
Nov 3
Source: Jim Todd, OMSI
TOMORROW'S TIDES
Astoria / Port Docks
Time
6:22 a.m.
6:49 p.m.
Low
0.1 ft.
0.3 ft.
Hi
69
60
62
76
66
58
78
32
86
61
68
84
95
67
89
65
75
64
69
65
65
65
83
64
66
Klamath Falls
30/72
Lakeview
28/71
Ashland
45/76
Hi
66
73
68
68
58
74
80
68
60
64
Today
Lo
29
43
50
41
50
30
43
44
47
45
W
s
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
Hi
69
68
66
65
57
72
77
62
59
64
Tues.
Lo
38
46
50
49
50
30
43
51
51
52
W
pc
pc
c
c
r
pc
pc
r
r
c
City
Olympia
Pendleton
Portland
Roseburg
Salem
Seaside
Spokane
Springfi eld
Vancouver
Yakima
Hi
65
71
67
74
69
61
62
69
67
71
Today
Lo
48
44
47
45
44
48
45
43
46
38
W
pc
s
pc
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
s
Hi
59
69
60
71
64
57
59
67
60
70
Tues.
Lo
45
51
51
47
52
51
43
51
52
43
W
r
pc
r
c
r
r
pc
c
r
pc
TOMORROW'S NATIONAL WEATHER
NATIONAL CITIES
W
r
pc
s
s
s
pc
s
c
pc
s
s
s
s
s
t
s
pc
pc
s
pc
s
s
s
pc
s
Hi
69
57
69
76
71
68
84
33
86
66
70
88
92
72
87
70
76
62
74
62
71
72
74
59
64
Tues.
Lo
47
47
49
45
50
47
59
23
76
45
50
63
69
50
76
43
64
48
48
46
48
44
52
48
47
Saturday, Oct. 21
NIKKILA, Richard Lloyd — Funeral at 11
a.m. in the chapel at Ocean View Cemetery, 575
18th St. in Warrenton, with a graveside service
to follow.
ON THE RECORD
REGIONAL CITIES
City
Baker City
Bend
Brookings
Eugene
Ilwaco
Klamath Falls
Medford
Newberg
Newport
North Bend
The Clatsop County Sheriff’s Offi ce did not
respond to any emergency situations related to
the quake and classes at Jewell School were not
delayed this morning.
A similar size quake hit Warrenton early last
November. The 3.5 magnitude quake passed
with barely an impact on the community . That
quake was felt most strongly in Warrenton,
Astoria and the southern portion of the Long
Beach Peninsula in Washington state.
Burns
24/69
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2017
Tonight's Sky: Tuesday morning low in the east, the
waning crescent moon is near Mars.
Today
Lo
49
42
46
42
48
42
54
22
76
43
47
59
66
46
76
43
58
45
44
43
47
43
56
51
45
Ontario
33/66
Roseburg
45/71
Brookings
50/67
Nov 10
Friday, Oct. 20
NIKKILA, Richard Lloyd — Visitation
from 1 to 5 p.m., Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mor-
tuary, 1165 Franklin Ave. An online guest book
is available at www.caldwellsmortuary.com
Baker
29/69
John Day
41/71
Bend
43/68
Medford
43/77
UNDER THE SKY
High
8.7 ft.
Prineville
39/70
Lebanon
43/65
The Daily Astorian
MEMORIAL
La Grande
39/70
Salem
44/64
Small earthquake reported near Vernonia
A small earthquake occurred Sunday night
about 14 miles west of Vernonia.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the
quake happened about 10:30 p.m. and was 3.4
in magnitude.
People in Elsie, Hamlet, Jewell and Asto-
ria said on social media that they felt the
earthquake.
Periods of rain
Pendleton
44/69
The Dalles
44/65
Portland
47/60
Sunset tonight ........................... 6:27 p.m.
Sunrise Tuesday .......................... 7:35 a.m.
Moonrise today ........................... 4:01 a.m.
Moonset today ........................... 5:26 p.m.
City
Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Denver
Des Moines
Detroit
El Paso
Fairbanks
Honolulu
Indianapolis
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Memphis
Miami
Nashville
New Orleans
New York
Oklahoma City
Philadelphia
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Francisco
Seattle
Washington, DC
Rain, heavy at times
Tillamook
44/60
SUN AND MOON
Time
12:34 p.m.
none
55
45
Shown is tomorrow's weather. Temperatures are tonight's lows and tomorrow's highs.
ASTORIA
49/59
Precipitation
Sunday ............................................. 0.00"
Month to date ................................... 1.23"
Normal month to date ....................... 2.20"
Year to date .................................... 54.44"
Normal year to date ........................ 42.44"
Oct 19
FRIDAY
57
44
REGIONAL WEATHER
Astoria through Sunday.
Temperatures
High/low ....................................... 64°/37°
Normal high/low ........................... 61°/44°
Record high ............................ 78° in 1954
Record low ............................. 32° in 1992
New
THURSDAY
60
51
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
W
s
s
s
s
s
s
pc
c
s
s
s
s
s
s
pc
s
s
s
s
s
s
pc
s
r
s
Assault
• At 9:26 a.m. Friday, Henrique Keen, 55,
of Seaside, was arrested by the Seaside Police
Department on the 1500 block of Lea Way
and charged with fourth-degree assault. He
allegedly slapped a woman in the face during a
domestic dispute.
DUII
• At 10:06 p.m. Saturday, Noreen Lebo,
57, of Astoria, was arrested by the Asto-
ria Police Department on the 5300 block of
Lief Erikson Drive and charged with driving
under the infl uence of intoxicants and reck-
less driving.
DEATHS
Oct. 13, 2017
NEWLAND, Judith Darlene, 81, of Seaside,
died in Portland. Hughes-Ransom Mortuary &
Crematory of Astoria/Seaside is in charge of the
arrangements.
Oct. 12, 2017
MILLER, Mary G., 98, of Astoria, died in
Astoria. Hughes-Ransom Mortuary & Cre-
matory of Astoria/Seaside is in charge of the
arrangements.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
MONDAY
Knappa School Board, 5:30
p.m., Knappa High School
library, 41535 Old U.S. Highway
30.
Jewell School Board, 6 p.m.,
Jewell School library, 83874
Oregon Highway 103.
Astoria City Council, 7 p.m.,
City Hall, 1095 Duane St.
TUESDAY
Astoria City Council, 9 a.m.,
work session on strategic plan-
ning, City Hall, 1095 Duane St.
Port of Astoria Commission,
4 p.m., Port offi ces, 10 Pier 1
Suite 209.
Clatsop County Human
Services Advisory Council, 4
to 5:30 p.m., 800 Exchange St.,
Room 430.
Seaside School District Board
of Directors, 6 p.m., 1801 S.
Franklin, Seaside.
million
Saturday’s Powerball: 32-37-
56-66-69, Powerball: 11
Estimated jackpot: $156
million
Friday’s Pick 4:
1 p.m.: 4074
4 p.m.: 9639
7 p.m.: 5281
10 p.m.: 5382
Friday’s Lucky Lines: 01-08-
09-13-19-23-25-31
Estimated jackpot: $11,000
Friday’s Mega Millions: 2-7-
18-26-31, Mega Ball: 12
Estimated jackpot: $15 million
16-20-22-24-31-38-43-52-53-
54-59-61-62-63-73-76
Sunday’s Match 4: 7-16-19-23
Saturday’s Daily Game: 1-2-3
Saturday’s Hit 5: 1-16-19-
21-36
Saturday’s Keno: 02-19-20--
21-22-27-29-30-32-35-40-47-
55-60-62-63-67-68-71-76
Saturday’s Lotto: 1-18-26-34-
44-49
Estimated jackpot: $1.6
million
Saturday’s Match 4: 7-10-
11-17
Friday’s Daily Game: 0-8-9
Friday’s Keno: 01-07-10-19-
20-22-35-37-41-46-47-49-51-
52-53-55-60-66-75-80
Friday’s Match 4: 13-16-20-22
Seaside Planning Commis-
sion, 7 p.m., City Hall, 989
Broadway.
Shoreline Sanitary District
Board, 7 p.m., Gearhart Hertig
Station, 33496 West Lake Lane,
Warrenton.
LOTTERIES
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy,
sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries,
sn-snow, i-ice.
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OREGON
Sunday’s Pick 4:
1 p.m.: 2-4-3-8
4 p.m.: 8-1-8-9
7 p.m.: 0-0-5-2
10 p.m.: 9-8-2-8
Sunday’s Lucky Lines: 02-08-
12-15-19-23-25-31
Estimated jackpot: $14,000
Saturday’s Pick 4:
1 p.m.: 4-5-1-1
4 p.m.: 7-8-0-1
7 p.m.: 7-5-2-8
10 p.m.: 6-1-2-4
Saturday’s Lucky Lines: 04-
08-11-14-18-24-27-31
Estimated jackpot: $12,000
Saturday’s Megabucks: 2-8-
10-29-40-45
Estimated jackpot: $8.6
WASHINGTON
Sunday’s Daily Game: 1-8-8
Sunday’s Keno: 02-08-12-13-
The Daily Astorian
Established July 1, 1873
(USPS 035-000)
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