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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 1981)
Spilyay Tymoo October 9,1981 Page 3 Pine beetle has become serious problem op :stry itural and ire as Fire Walt e of dian soil illiot; »rest ’ by r Bob mber “The i and ional iurita River ssion. se inned :cond “We it and »leted 982.” 'ecan to lift ough es for 1982 *ough I. By direct total i the BIA and ». I and ng to n,the pears be a >f the ow it eend The mountain pine beetle, which can make short work of destroying a tree, has recently become a serious problem in Warm Springs forests. Thirty-five hundred acres of the community’s major economic resource is in jeopardy because of infestation and needs to be thinned, while 700 acres of conditional use area has been reclassified as a commercial clearcut area. After discovering the pine beetle infestation to be serious in certain areas, forestry employees immediately began to plan for removal of the infested trees. A Tribal Council resolution changed the status of the most infested area at the Dead Deer Logging site near Lion’s Head from a conditional use area to an emergency commercial thinning area. Lodgepole pine, ponderosa, white fir and other species are being removed from the heavily infested area. Lodgepole pine are normally the victims of the beetle’s attack but Ponderosa are known to have become infested, particularly in areas where Lodgepole are predominant. The beetle’s preference is for Lodgepole but if Ponderosa should become the habitat of the beetle the next generation will seek out the same species of tree in which it matured. The Deschutes National Forest is now finding beetles in some of its Ponderosa pine. Lodgepole pine become victims primarily because they are trees with low vigor. The attacked trees are usually those that are mature and have reached a stage of slow growth. The species comes up in patches after a fire, for example, sometimes with 10,000 stems per acre, according to forester Arnold Browning. The trees must compete for moisture and other resources offered by the soil. CLEAR CUT AREA— 700 acres are marked as a clearcut and thinning area through Tribal Council resolution in an effort to control the mountain pine beetle. Under such stressful conditions the tree cannot expelí the insects. A healthy tree on the other hand will “pitch-out” the beetle. But trees of low vigor can only succumb to the beetle’s attack. The number of Lodgepole pine in the Warm Springs area is small in comparison to the Deschutes National Forest. Browning states, “We don’t have extensive stands that are susceptible.” The Lodgepole that does exist in the area is located near the crest of the Cascades. The Dead Deer area is included. Besides clearcutting the Dead Deer area certain plots in the area will be thinned along with 3,500 acres of forest land. It is necessary that the infested trees be removed as a fire preventive measure. Thinning provides the opportunity for select trees to receive sunshine and moisture, making them at the same time resistant to the mountain pine beetle’s attack. A spray is ineffective as the beetle burrows beneath the bark of the tree in the cambrium layer. The beetle is outside of the tree lor only a short period of time as it searches for a live tree in which to burrow. While in the tree the beetle emits a pheromone which attracts other beetles until the tree is filled to capacity. The female beetle then lays eggs. The larvae feed on the cambrium layer of the tree eventually encircling it, cutting off the water supply and killing it. The tree turns red after the new generation flies off in late summer in search of live trees to provide a home and food for the winter. The extent of beetle damage in the Warm Springs forests was reported through use of aerial photographs after the annual forest service survey indicated many damaged trees. The emergency situation was reported to Tribal Council. They acted immediately directing the forestry department to take measures in an attempt to eliminate the problem. Timber committee member Louie Pitt, Jr noted that he thought Tribal Council acted hastily until he researched the problem. He found that years ago the beetle had destroyed hundreds of acres of forest land owned by the Warm Springs Tribes, which accounted for Council’s decision. In an attempt to break even, the trees in the area are being sold. Warm Springs Forest Products Industries bias begun work in ridding of the dead pine which is still sabyagable. B.I.A. Forest Manager Robert Hamed is hoping other infested areas can be sold for salvagable timber, but he feels the market is pretty tight right now along with “the small size of material being logged making it difficult to find a seller.” As stated in the forest officer’s report, “This logging unit will help fulfill the management goals and sustained vield objectives by: 1. Providing a portion of the 1982 and 1983 annual cut for the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. 2. Increasing timber" productivity by harvesting diseased, defective, mature and overmature timber. 3. Supplying a portion of the annual cut for the Warm Springs Forest Products Industries.” The primary objective in harvesting timber in the Dead Deer area and thinning in other areas is stated as being “to reduce timber losses and mountain pine beetle populations through the removal of mortality, beetle- infested trees, and trees highly susceptible to be beetle attack.” Silva-culture methods, which are being put into effect now, will help control the mountain pine beetle infestation, Browning commented. “There is pretty good evidence that the mountain pine beetle can be controlled if the trees are thinned and vigorous growing trees are maintained.” With work in this direction a major investment of the Warm Springs people is being protected. Expanded hours forALC The Adult Learning Center is open for anyone interested in brushing up on spelling, grammar or math. A small library is available for those who wish to check out a book. The Adult Learning Center, located in the Community Center building, also provides a quiet place to read. Reba Powell and Nancy Jolstead will help anyone interested in obtaining their GED. With expanded hours this year, the Adult Learning Center is open five days a week, Monday through Friday, 8- 5:00, and from 7-10:00 p.m. on Thursday. The number for more information is 553-1428. Warm Springs position on Deschutes River Following are responses Bill Marsh, president of Rocky- Marsh Public Relations firm in Portland, has given to TV station KVZI on behalf of Delbert Frank, speaking as a member of the governor’s task force on the Deschutes River. At the request of Recreation Committee chairman Louis Pitt, Jr., these statements are being printed. The statements were used in a series on the Deschutes River aired on TV station KVZI, Eugene, Oregon on October 7, 1981. They asked: What are the concerns of the Confederated Tribes? Answers: 1. That the natural* beauty of the river be maintained to the highest extent possible. 2. That use of the river be monitored so as to prevent over use. 3, That private property be respected and vandalism reduced, especially including the western and northern banks of that portion of the river which are reservation lands owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation. 4. That the work of the task PARENTAL SCRUTINY— Warren McCragie inspects the school work of Clomiat during the force continue until regulation Warm Springs elementary open house on Tuesday, October 6. of the river usage is established. Spilyay Tymoo photo by Shewczyk
