A5
THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020
State forestry board will proceed
with habitat conservation plan
SPORTS
By MATEUSZ
PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
Oregon forest regulators
have unanimously rejected
the timber industry’s argu-
ments against moving for-
ward with a habitat con-
servation plan for several
protected species on state
forestlands.
On Tuesday , the Oregon
Board of Forestry voted in
favor of proceeding with an
environmental analysis of
the plan, which timber advo-
cates wanted to prevent due
to fears of reduced logging
and harm to rural economies.
The habitat conservation
plan would aim to mitigate
harm to 16 species that are
listed under the Endangered
Species Act or could gain
federal protection.
However, the plan would
absolve the Oregon Depart-
ment of Forestry, which
manages the forestlands,
from liability for “incidental
take” — the killing of pro-
tected species or destruction
of their habitat.
Currently, the Depart-
ment of Forestry manages
the affected 640,000 acres to
avoid incidental take, which
the plan anticipates will be
tougher to do in the future.
Representatives of the
timber industry and rural
communities argue the plan
is too restrictive compared to
similar habitat conservation
plans on private and pub-
lic property elsewhere in the
Northwest.
“Do I care about endan-
gered species? Yes, but there
is already so much ground
set aside for that now,” said
Mike Pihl, a logger from Ver-
nonia and president of #Tim-
berUnity, which advocates on
behalf of rural communities.
Much of Oregon’s forest-
land is under federal own-
ership and effectively can-
not be logged, while the state
also has extensive regula-
tions for harvesting timber
on state and private lands, he
said.
“We already have tons
Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press
Oregon’s Board of Forestry has voted to proceed with a habitat
conservation plan analysis opposed by the timber industry.
of protection in place,” Pihl
said.
The plan ignores the eco-
nomic and social needs of
rural communities while tak-
ing a hands-off approach to
management that has led to
fi re danger and other prob-
lems on federal property,
said Rex Storm, lobbyist for
the Association of Oregon
Loggers.
“This HCP would repeat
the failures of federal for-
est management, which are
unacceptable to us,” Storm
said.
Under the Department of
Forestry’s interpretation, log-
ging would initially decline
under the plan but the plan
would eventually result in a
larger volume of timber har-
vest over 75 years compared
to the current “take avoid-
ance strategies.”
The agency claims the
plan will provide “increased
certainty” compared to other
forest management methods,
which will also likely result
in reduced logging as more
species are listed and more
acreage must be protected.
The Oregon Forest &
Industries Council, which
represents the timber indus-
try, counters that the plan sets
aside too much forestland for
conservation without tak-
ing into account the adverse
impacts to the threatened
spotted owl from the more
aggressive barred owl.
The organization also
worries that the Depart-
ment of Forestry’s data
models and logging projec-
tions are fl awed, which will
result in greater-than-antic-
ipated restrictions on tim-
ber harvest when the plan is
implemented.
“We have a lack of con-
fi dence in the harvest num-
bers,” said Seth Barnes, for-
est policy director for the
Oregon Forest & Industries
Council.
Representatives of state
and federal agencies, which
have been developing the
plan since 2017, testifi ed
in support of conducting a
federally required environ-
mental analysis under the
National Environmental Pol-
icy Act.
Only after that analysis is
complete in mid-2022 will
the Board of Forestry decide
whether to implement the
plan.
The plan will recon-
cile competing demands for
wildlife habitat, clean water,
timber revenues and other
public values, said Paul Hen-
son, the U.S. Fish and Wild-
life Service’s state supervisor
for Oregon.
The plan “does the most
benefi t for the greatest group
of folks,” he said.
Members of the Board of
Forestry ultimately agreed
with proponents of the plan ,
voting 6-0 to proceed with
the National Environmen-
tal Policy Act analysis at the
conclusion of the Tuesday
online hearing.
Seaside Riptide
Seaside’s 12U Riptide softball team following action last weekend.
Seaside 12U team closes out season
The Astorian
The Seaside Riptide’s
12U softball team fi nished
their fall ball season last
weekend , splitting four
game against three different
opponents.
Seaside was the host
team for the two-day tour-
nament, held Oct. 3 and
Oct. 4 at Wahanna Field.
The Tigard Blast man-
aged to beat the Riptide
twice, but in between, the
Riptide scored wins over
the Canby Rebels and the
Astoria Fish.
The weekend’s open-
ing game went fi ve innings,
with the Blast rallying with
four runs in the bottom of
the fi fth for a 10-9 win.
Seaside held a 5-0 lead
after a half inning, with the
Riptide scoring four runs
before the fi rst out was
recorded.
Trailing 6-1, Tigard
scored fi ve in the bottom of
the fourth to tie the game.
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TRANSFORMING LIVES - STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
REGIONAL FORECAST
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
Seattle
64 53
Low clouds
64 55
60 50
Some sun, then
Breezy with rain
clouds
59 51
61 49
A little rain
61 50
61 49
Rain possible A chance of rain Rain possible
Aberdeen
Olympia
62/53
64/55
Wenatchee
Tacoma
Moses
Lake
UNDER THE SKY
TODAY'S TIDES
Astoria through Tuesday
Tonight’s Sky: Lyra, the harp,
stands high overhead as darkness
falls this evening.
Astoria / Port Docks
Temperatures
High/low ................................ 73/47
Normal high/low .................. 64/46
Record high .................. 85 in 1987
Record low .................... 34 in 1949
Precipitation
Tuesday ................................... 0.00”
Month to date ........................ 0.00”
Normal month to date ......... 0.73”
Year to date .......................... 41.87”
Normal year to date ........... 41.22”
Forecasts and graphics provided by
AccuWeather, Inc. ©2020
Time
High (ft.) Time Low (ft.)
6:34 a.m.
5:14 p.m.
5.6 11:35 a.m. 3.3
7.3
none
Cape Disappointment
6:03 a.m.
5:08 p.m.
Source: Jim Todd, OMSI
Hammond
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today .................. 7:24 a.m.
Sunset tonight ............... 6:41 p.m.
Moonrise today ........... 10:40 p.m.
Moonset today .............. 2:07 p.m.
Last
New
First
Full
6:21 a.m.
5:14 p.m.
Warrenton
6:29 a.m.
5:09 p.m.
Knappa
7:11 a.m.
5:51 p.m.
Depoe Bay
Oct 9 Oct 16 Oct 23 Oct 31
5:26 a.m.
4:15 p.m.
5.5 10:49 a.m. 3.7
6.8
none
5.7 11:13 a.m. 3.4
7.1
none
6.0 11:19 a.m. 3.4
7.7
none
5.9 12:46 a.m. 0.4
7.6 12:36 p.m. 2.8
5.9 10:18 a.m. 4.1
7.3 11:39 p.m. 1.0
City
Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Dallas
Denver
Honolulu
Houston
Los Angeles
Miami
New York City
Phoenix
San Francisco
Wash., DC
85/67/pc
62/44/s
72/54/s
86/67/s
86/53/s
88/74/pc
87/72/t
77/61/pc
88/79/c
65/48/s
102/70/pc
69/57/c
72/51/s
Fri.
Hi/Lo/W
78/68/sh
64/55/s
79/62/s
84/65/pc
84/47/pc
89/74/pc
77/70/r
77/63/pc
88/79/pc
68/58/s
99/69/s
71/60/pc
71/60/pc
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy,
c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms,
r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice.
74/47
Kennewick Walla Walla
77/51 Lewiston
82/51
77/50
Hermiston
The Dalles 81/50
Enterprise
Pendleton 74/40
77/48
76/50
La Grande
76/40
69/50
NATIONAL CITIES
Today
Hi/Lo/W
Pullman
78/45
66/55
Salem
74/48
Yakima 79/48
Longview
64/53 Portland
67/54
Spokane
73/49
65/51
64/51
Astoria
ALMANAC
less ball in the fi eld.
On the bases, Seaside
had 10 steals.
Seaside met the Astoria
Fish 12U team in the sec-
ond day’s fi rst game, the
sixth meeting of the fall
between the two teams.
The Riptide had another
big start, jumping out to an
8-1 lead after two innings.
Allie Corder had another
three hits and also drove
in three runs for Seaside,
while Carly Corder limited
Astoria to just four hits and
a walk with nine strikeouts.
The fi nal game of the
tournament went seven
innings, with Tigard scor-
ing an 8-6 win.
Tied 5-5 in the top of
the fi fth, the Blast belted
a three-run homer to give
Tigard the lead for good.
Starr had three of Sea-
side’s seven hits.
Seaside’s 12U team is
coached by Chris Corder
and by assistant Forest
Betts.
CLATSOP
POWER
the Columbia Pacific
SEVENDAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA
TODAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
The Riptide answered
with three in the top of the
fi fth, but Tigard’s four runs
in the bottom of the inning
gave the Blast the victory.
Seaside had 10 hits,
including a 3-for-3 game
for Allie Corder, who had
a double, three runs scored
and three RBI s.
The Riptide had another
big fi rst inning in Game 2,
jumping out to a 4-0 lead
against the Canby Rebels.
Sophia Bucher’s two-out
single scored two runs for
the four-run lead.
Seaside pulled away
with three runs in the third
and three more in the fourth,
and fi nished with 12 hits.
Five different players
had two hits apiece for Sea-
side, while pitcher Carly
Corder scattered fi ve hits
with seven strikeouts and
two walks.
Allie Corder, Carly
Corder and Kenzie Starr
each had a double for the
Riptide, who played error-
Corvallis
68/46
Albany
67/49
John Day
Eugene
Bend
69/48
76/43
79/46
Ontario
79/41
Caldwell
Burns
79/28
80/43
Medford
77/45
Klamath Falls
76/33
City
Baker City
Brookings
Ilwaco
Newberg
Newport
Today
Hi/Lo/W
79/37/pc
62/52/c
62/55/c
67/50/c
61/54/c
Fri.
Hi/Lo/W
79/38/pc
62/55/pc
62/56/r
70/55/pc
63/55/pc
City
North Bend
Roseburg
Seaside
Springfi eld
Vancouver
Today
Hi/Lo/W
64/52/c
71/51/c
63/54/c
68/50/c
66/53/c
Fri.
Hi/Lo/W
66/55/pc
76/54/pc
65/55/pc
73/54/c
69/56/pc