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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1994)
Smoke Signals July 1994 Page12 Timber management... (continued from page 10 After a section of forest is cut, the left over wood is carefully sorted. Some can be cut into lumber, some is set aside to be ground up for wood chips that will make paper, and a good part will be cut up into fire wood for tribal families. The market is but one challenge facing the division's staff of eight full-time employees and six sea sonal workers. They care for 9,900 acres of forest lands that bring in an average annual revenue of $4 mil lion. Sustained yield practices Adams said that his division prac tices "sustained yield management. ' ' Timber is carefully managed so that cutting doesn't exceed the forest growth. ' 'We harvest about 6 million board feet year, and we are trying to catch up with a backlog of 5 million board feet," he said. The division operates under a for est management plan that extends to the year 2000. ' ' When a forest area is harvested, w e try to get the land in condition to plant seedlings," he said. The Tribes have an ordinance governing timber growing and har The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon 9615 Grand Ronde Rd. Grand Ronde, OR 97347 vesting that is similar, to the Or egon Forest Practices Act. However, the tribes' ordinance provides more protection that the Oregon statute. "We maintain widerbuffers- more trees and growth adjacent to streams," Adams said. He said that the timber is clear cut, but more commercial thinning is being implemented. "We don't use rubber-tired ma chines in the operations. We require tractor crawler equipment, because they cause less damage to the forest floor, "Adams said. Forest management After a forest area has been cut, Jeff Nepstad and his crew moves in. They gather up all of the surplus material in huge piles and the slash burning starts. Contractor do the burning under Nepstad's careful eye. Adams said that fire is nature's way of renewing the forest. Heat from the blaze helps reduce plant diseases and insects harmful to baby trees. The burned material adds nutrients to the soil. Elder's Spotlight: The spotlight is on Velma Mercier this month, who has been a Grand Ronde resident all of her life. Velma has one son, three grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, and five grear-great-grandchildren. She is 87 year old. Her parents are Hattie and John Hudson. Velma has been married to Harold Mercier for over 50 years, and still goes camping whenever she gets a chance. She takes everything but the kitchen sink and makes her camp with most all the comforts ofhome. Velma is a sister to Ila Dowd and Martha Mercier. X ' ' s IT 1 U of Ore. Library Serials Dept. Eugene OR 97403 University of Oregon I e c e i v e d o n : 07- 0 8-04 r.tnoko signals Velma Mercier Mill i iiw i ill mi in m wmMi mum. minim t . VETERAN PRIDE: The Veteran's Paw wow was held June 11 at St. Michael's Church in Grand Ronde. Many people came to drum, dance, and show respect to tribal veterans. Librar Candidates Willie West, continued. However, in the past, very few services have been available to those living outside the Grand Ronde area. Iam interested in developing services and financial opportunities for all tribal members, not just a select few. It may be financially impractical to provide small health clinics across six counties, but some housing developments and business enterprises may benefit more tribal members andbe more profitable located outside of Grand Ronde. Further, our tribal government must be responsive to the needs of the majority of the people and individual members need to be held accountable for the way they vote on issues. A few months ago, Tribal Council ignored a majority vote on two occasions and took a 300 pay increase. Now is the time to look closely at our leadership and make sure they are people dedicated to the best interest of the Tribe as a whole before we vote them into office. I am asking you to vote for me in the September election because I am a person who will listen to what our membership has to say and who will give 40 hours per week to this position. If elected to Tribal Council, I will work to promote tribal unity by action and word which would acknowledge our bond of kinship, give honor to the leadership role, and provide for the betterment of all. JUL-- ! p, sPff ' 6fc032oL
