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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 29, 2020)
A4 THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, FEbRuARy 29, 2020 OPINION editor@dailyastorian.com KARI BORGEN Publisher DERRICK DePLEDGE Editor Founded in 1873 JEREMY FELDMAN Circulation Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN Production Manager CARL EARL Systems Manager GUEST COLUMN #TimberUnity is a misnomer By JON STEWART #T imberUnity is a misno- mer. Climate deniers are attempting to claim the timber industry is unified in opposing cap-and-trade legislation. This is a lie. By using logging trucks to harass our state legislators with their blaring horns, #Timber Unity proves itself just a bunch of belligerent bullies following in the Trump tradition. Their seed funding, as demonstrated by one tax-free $5,000 donation from Andrew Miller, the owner of Stimson Lumber, undermines their claim of being a grassroots orga- nization supported by small rural vot- ers throughout the state. This wealthy industrialist represents the same inves- tors who are racing to decimate Oregon forests by increasing harvests on their timberlands with ever quicker rotations before the realities of climate change catch up with them. Meanwhile, researchers from Oregon State University’s College of Forestry are sounding the alarm. Mature coni- fer trees that need to pump water 200 feet or more into their upper branches are having a difficult time surviving. The timber industry does not care since it is harvesting ever smaller trees at an ever-increasing rate … even though an erratic climate makes the survival of their freshly planted seedlings increas- ingly challenging. There are over 10 million acres of private timberland in Oregon. Fif- ty-eight percent of it are parcels of over 5,000 acres in size. Owned primarily by real estate investment trusts, large corporations and privately owned tim- ber companies interested in their short- term gain, increasingly these indus- trial timberlands west of the Cascades Raincloud Tree Farm in Clackamas County. are harvested at 50 years of age. Con- sidering that Oregon’s conifer trees can grow to over 700 years in age and store immense amounts of carbon, the trees they are harvesting are barely juveniles. Rising temperatures and prolonged droughts that we are seeing in every corner of the world are contributing to longer, more intense fire seasons and increased insect and disease outbreaks. The good news is that the impacts of climate change can be lessened with active management and careful timber removal, especially through forest resto- ration, thinning and fuels reduction for wildfire resiliency. As small woodland owners in Clack- amas County who have intensively managed our family tree farm for over half a century, we are fighting the impacts of longer, hotter, drier summers and increased mortality from disease. Tall fir and hemlock over 120 years old are dying off while ever larger wildfires threaten our tree farm. We have con- structed shaded fuel breaks on the edge of our property, repeatedly thinned our forest and increased our volume of tim- ber to over 3 million board feet while sending over 2 million board feet of timber to local mills. But this is not enough! Forests serve a vital biological role in mitigating the effects of cli- mate change, because trees absorb and store carbon through photosynthesis. Research also shows that mature for- ests filled with taller trees act as giant sponges collecting moisture from the clouds. These giant water collectors, by creating “fog drip,” help mitigate intense weather patterns by moderat- ing heat waves, increasing rainfall and retaining moisture in their watersheds for use in our farms and cities. We are the first small woodland in the nation to place our 120-acre tree farm containing trees with an average age of 72 years under California’s cap- and-trade initiative. For our efforts to sequester carbon, we are reimbursed nearly $10,000 a year. Nationwide, there are over 900 small woodland own- ers lining up behind us to help lock up carbon dioxide in the trunks of their trees. When doing so, we are commit- ted to retaining carbon in our forests for over a century and standing up against #TimberUnity’s abusive activities. Unfortunately, #TimberUnity’s honk- ing hoodlums only need terrorize our Legislature for a couple of weeks to get their way. Time will tell who speaks louder, but if our Legislature doesn’t stand up for cap and trade, there will be no forests left in Oregon for these log truck drivers’ children to haul anywhere. Jon Stewart, of Raincloud Tree Farm, is a member of the bend chapter of Citi- zens’ Climate Lobby. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Outraged read the article on the termination of the 13 Cannery Pier Hotel spa workers with one day’s notice, and I am outraged (“Can- nery Pier Hotel closes spa services,” The Astorian, Feb. 20). Don West, the man- ager, is quoted saying about the new own- ers, Vesta Hospitality, “These are good people, and I think they’ll be good partners for the community …” Good people and good partners for the community do not terminate employ- ees, some of whom have been there for 14 years, on one day’s notice. Good people do not refuse to respond to a request for sal- ary negotiation. Good people do not say you may keep your client’s information, but refer cus- tomers to other providers in the area. It may be legal, but it is not the right thing to do. In our small community, a workforce of 13 has a big impact. My husband and I have stayed at the Cannery Pier Hotel numerous times. I have also joined a group of women who stay at the hotel annually as a small retreat. We enjoyed the community welcoming the hotel gave during our stays. Now I will not be referring any of my friends to this hotel, which treats its local employees with such disrespect. When I saw a large corporation had purchased the hotel upon Robert “Jake” Jacob’s death, I feared the hotel might lose its small com- munity feel. My fears have come true and then some. Sad for our community and shame on you, Vesta Hospitality. CINDY GOULD Seaside KATHLEEN HUDSON Hammond DIANA McLOUGHLIN Gearhart LORI TROLSON Seaside I Recommended hat have more than 800 local women said about the WINGS Conference each year since 2002? “I would recommend the conference to a friend!” WINGS — Women Interested in Going to School — is a one-day conference at Clatsop Community College, this year on March 14, from 9 a.m to 4 p.m., sponsored by the college and the Seaside and Asto- ria branches of the American Association of University Women. The event is 100% free for women who are not currently in college, and who want to explore options about getting a GED, starting college classes or changing careers. WINGS has already helped participants with more than $50,000, funded by local grants and donations. W Women ranging in age from post-high school to beyond 60 have attended WINGS, and been inspired to better their lives and those of their families. Success stories are inspiring; some women who have attended even without a GED now have masters’ degrees and rewarding, responsible, lucra- tive careers. One past participant recently reported that she had never had family support for education but, doing homework together with her high school son, forged an unex- pected and wonderful bond, and she is proud that he will graduate in June. The program’s impact goes beyond the participants, to their families and the com- munity where they live and work. We know there are many local women who can achieve their dreams of a better life, and WINGS is ready to help. Check out the Clatsop Community Col- lege website for more information, and please encourage any woman you know who believes that education can make life better. That might be you, too. PAT LEHMAN Seaside Cancer cautions ’ve recently undergone successful radia- tion treatment for prostate and lung can- cer. Thanks to Astoria doctors like David Leibel, Pehr Hartvigson, Amrita Desai and others, I can now look forward to “natural I causes.” I advise readers to monitor their health more closely and take necessary steps to pre- vent cancer afflictions like I’ve undergone. The staff and facilities at Astoria provide excellent treatment options. I especially val- ued that new $3 million radiation machine at the Knight Cancer Collaborative that elimi- nated malignant cancer nodules. Do value your health more, and take those important steps to provide a longer life, and better quality of life. ROBERT BRAKE Ocean Park, Washington Great experience or the past three years, the Liberty The- atre has offered a free five-day theater camp to children ages 5 to 17. Missoula Children’s Theater offers kids a great expe- rience, and provides parents with an entire week of day camp for their kids at no cost. Last summer we had 65 children audi- tioning, working with theater profession- als, cooperating with peers, learning lines, stage direction and prop handling, and then performing on the “big stage” in the Liberty Theatre. Having helped check kids in and out each day, I have seen many children transform from timid, reluctant participants on day one to confident, completely-in-love-with-the- ater young actors by the end of the week. Lots of kids return year after year. F Many parents could not afford camp (or day care of any kind), and treasure the chance to see their kids participate. Others could afford any camp, but value what their kids get from this camp. Local support is needed, whether you are a parent whose child has benefited from camp, someone who enjoys the perfor- mances at the end of the week or someone who just wants to help provide camp for a child. A week of camp costs the Liberty $5,000, and a donation of $50 will support one child for a week of camp. Please donate to the Liberty for the 2020 MCT camp at the Lib- erty. Your generosity will help ensure that the show will go on. ANN LEDERER Liberty Theatre Board Member Astoria Thumbs down applaud the entire spa staff at the Can- nery Pier Hotel & Spa whose jobs were dismissed without notice because they were unwilling to take a pay cut. They did not know their voices would be silenced without regard for loss of job and income. This is not the kind of employer I want to have in our community. Thumbs down to the owners and manager of the Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa. ROSEMARY GINTHER Astoria I
