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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 2018)
October 19, 2018 T he C olumbia P ress 5 Timber tour takes leaders through working forest projects B y p eggy y ingst The Columbia Press The forests are all right. That’s because dozens of lo- cal and state agencies have partnered to make it so. The 28th annual Clatsop County Forestry Tour on Wednesday gave community leaders a chance to go into the woods to see how the tim- ber industry is managed. The tour was sponsored by Clatsop Forestry and Wood Products Economic Develop- ment Committee. “Timber is money,” said Monica Steele, Clatsop Coun- ty’s budget and finance direc- tor. “It’s essentially a crop.” Timber is Oregon’s largest industry. And Clatsop County is 94 percent forest. The first stop was Hamp- ton Lumber’s Big Creek Tree Farm, where visitors saw the stream restoration project to improve fish passage. When Hampton bought the land in 1991, the compa- ny wondered why there were no fish above the hatchery, site manager Bud Henderson said. The previous owner had dug trenches and installed culverts to divert the creek so that bridges wouldn’t wash out during big storms. A $390,000 grant helped in- stall new bridges, and dona- tions from Hampton of labor, rocks, fill dirt and hundreds of trees, put the creek back where it belonged. At another stop in the Clat- sop State Forest, visitors toured a cut-to-length thin- ning operation. Tess Hamby, the new ag- ricultural and industrial instructor at Astoria High School, envisions bringing three or four students with her next year. “With my woodshop class- es, I have kids who like to work with their hands,” Ham- by said. “They’re interested in woodworking. By bringing them here, I can show them all the possibilities and they can see their projects from start to finish.” Matt Mattioda, who man- ages cut-to-length teams for Miller Timber Services, com- pared what he does to home gardening. “Like the carrots in your garden, it’s necessary to regu- larly thin some of these trees to allow others to get bigger,” he said. “There’s a fine line. … What we leave behind is a whole lot more important than what we send down the road.” At the Northrup Creek Horse Camp in southeast Clatsop County, the state per- forms a difficult balancing act to integrate off-highway vehicle users, campers and equestrians, all while serv- ing to protect and maintain a working forest. There are 30 miles of trails up to Nicolai Mountain. New this year is an obstacle train- ing course for horses that in- cludes a teeter-totter bridge. The forest has important recreational value, said Char- lie Moyer, a reforestation and recreation manager for Clat- sop State Forest. “In the past, we have en- capsulated seed in nutrients and dropped them into the ground,” Moyer said. “But seed is expensive, so we pre- fer to plant seedlings.” The state will rely on 11 nurseries for its supply of three-quarters of a million seedlings this year. They have planted cedar seedlings in the past, but it’s one of the favorites for deer and elk to pull from the ground, he said. When they plant cedar, they now add netting around the base to discourage the ani- mals from eating them. Neil Bond of ODF’s Clat- sop County protection unit, said his agency protects up to 450,000 acres of timberland. They manage six engines filled with 400 gallons of wa- ter and patrol forestry roads. During fire season, they’re required to have a fire truck on site when firms are cutting or thinning the forest. Tom Clark, an engineering forester with Greenwood Re- sources, got involved in the tours three years ago. This year, he chaired the tour committee. “I got involved with the for- estry project and fell in love,” he said. Matt Mattioda of Miller Timber Services describes the work of the state-of-the-art Ponsee Harvester behind him. With Nicolai Moun- tain as a back- drop, tour mem- bers hear about future plans for harvesting Hamp- ton’s Douglas fir and alder. In 25 years, the stand will be thinned and harvested 15 years later. Peggy Yingst The Columbia Press Bud Henderson, Hampton site manager, talks about his com- pany’s maintenance plans. Obituary Shirley Irvin Warrenton Shirley Loretta Irvin, a nearly lifelong resident of Warrenton, died Saturday, Oct. 13, at her home. She was 86. Irvin was born in Seaside to Virgie Shultz and Roy “Hap” Magnuson and graduated from Warrenton High School in Irvin 1949. That summer, she married her high school sweetheart, Jack Irvin, and they were married for 64 years until his death in 2003. Together they raised four children. In her early adult life, she worked as a waitress, a can- nery worker and a telephone company operator. Later she became a stay-at-home mother. She was an active and long- time member of Warrenton Christian Church. Irvin was an avid wood carver and made hundreds of wooden Santas, which she often gave to family and friends. She loved to gar- den, play bridge and be with friends. She is survived by a son, Donald, daughters Mar- leen Torian and Kathy Ir- vin, six grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at noon Friday, Oct. 19, at Warrenton Christian Church, 1376 S.E. Anchor Ave. All are welcome. The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made in her name to Astoria Rescue Mis- sion, 62 W. Bond St., Astoria OR 97103. thecolumbiapress.com Charlie Moyer, a Clatsop State Forest reforestation manager. Visit the website to find back issues, expanded articles, photos and more!
