Forest health on the Ochoco..
Forest health is a major concern here
on the Ochoco National Forest - in
fact, It's the number one management
Issue we're dealing with right nowl
The primary problem area is situated
on what we call the "north slope" of
the forest; those predominantly north
facing drainages near the northern
boundary on the Prineville, Big
Summit, and Paulina Ranger Districts.
The Forest is also experiencing Insect
infestations in ponderosa pine on the
Snow Mountain Ranger District north
of Burns. The forest health problem
area encompasses nearly 400,000
acres of mixed-conifer stands, which
Is almost 50 of forested land on the
entire Ochoco National Forest!
A recently completed survey of
vegetation on the north slope shows
that the problem is most serious on
about 130,000 of the total affected
acres.
"Things are really bad in these areas,"
commented Forest Supervisor Tom
Schmidt. "In a healthy forest, you
would expect to see mostly green
trees, with a few dead and dying trees
scattered around. In these mixed
conifer stands, the situation is just
reversed. You see mostly dead and
dying trees, with a few scattered green
trees...there are areas where every
thing in view is dead."
Not just trees are affected by the
problem. Big changes have occured
in riparian areas, old growth habitat,
forage and cover densities, and water
quality and yields. Basically, the entire
ecosystem is affected by the problem
and we have designed our projects to
address the problem on an ecosys- .
tern level.
According to Jack Ward Thomas,
Forest Service research wildlife biolo
gist, This is the first time we've ever
seen a forest ecosystem begin to
unravel like this."
Some of the concerns that we plan to
deal with In the mixed-conifer stands
on the Ochoco Include:
the threat of Infestation of healthy
stands of trees unless preventative
measures are taken;
the threat of catastrophic
wildfires In so much dry dead
material;
the loss of old growth habitat;
severe impacts to visual
quality;
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To be successful, we must focus community
interest on what is possible in their forest future."
Tom Quigley, Blue Mountain Natural Resources Institute
Forest Chronicles, insert USDA, Forest Service
Ochoco National Forest Spring 1992