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The Columbia Press Celebrating our 100th year • 1922-2022 1 50 ¢ March 4, 2022 503-861-3331 Vol. 6, Issue 9 Saving the canopy, one troubled tree at a time A juggernaut is on its way to Oregon, and fed- eral and state government agencies are step- ping in. The Oregon Department of Forestry has been gathering the seeds of Oregon ash from throughout the state thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The goal is to preserve its gene pool before the arrival of a destructive pest that could wipe out the species. “This is a first-of-its-kind effort in the long saga of invasive pests and diseases attacking North American trees,” said Wyatt Williams, ODF’s invasive species specialist. “By the time scientists are funded and able to start looking for resistance, a large part of the gene pool of the species being attacked has already been lost.” Oregon is fortunate to be able to gather seeds representing the whole range of Oregon ash genes ahead of the arrival of emerald ash borer, he said. The borer will devastate ash trees here as it has done across the country. The insect, originally from Asia, first was found in Michigan in 2002. It has since spread to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Every- where it invades, the insect kills almost all of the ash trees. Females lay their eggs on ash trees. The lar- vae then eat tunnels under the bark through the cambium layer. The tunnels make it im- See ‘Canopy’ on Page 4 The Columbia Press 22 percent were interested in manufac- turer licensure, 20 percent were inter- ested in service center licensure, and 5 percent were interested in testing lab licensure. “We saw strong participation from the community,” said Angie Allbee, manager of Oregon Psilocybin Services at OHA. “The survey findings, while preliminary, help us to better under- stand community interest in accessing psilocybin services, in licensure, and Progress has been made on filling City Hall staffing positions that have led to a disruption in some services in the past year. Mike Morgan, for- mer interim city planner for Astoria and the former may- or of Cannon Beach, has been hired as interim city planner for the city of War- renton. He’ll start Morgan March 14. Applications for city manager were due Thursday with screening and ini- tial interviews beginning next week. “Last I checked in with our consul- tant last week, they had received nine applications and expected more over the weekend,” current City Manager Linda Engbretson wrote in an email. “He said there were definitely some good candidates among the applica- tions received.” Engbretson announced her retire- ment last year and she has been filling in since September on a temporary basis. After interviews and back- ground checks, a new city manager is expected to be announced April 4. Engbretson also has moved forward in hiring a planning technician, a new post created by the city commission in its attempts to keep things moving in the Building and Planning Depart- ment, and with increasing the budget for a permanent city planner. “The next city manager will need to move that forward how they see fit – keep complex projects with a consul- tant or hire the planner,” Engbretson See ‘Psilocybin’ on Page 3 See ‘Staffing’ on Page 2 Above: A forestry worker collects seed from wild Oregon ash trees north of Salem as part of an effort to preserve the species’ genes before the emerald ash borer arrives. Photo by ODF Right: Workers walk through a grove of red alder in the Nehalem Wa- tershed. Courtesy Nehalem Watershed Council Oregonians appear ready for psilocybin, survey says Ninety-four percent of Oregonians say they’d access psilocybin services once they become available in the next year, according to results of a survey is- sued by the Oregon Health Authority. The survey was conducted during January and February with results re- leased Wednesday. Results of the survey show that of the 4,421 people who participated, 4,162, or 94 percent, were interested in ac- cessing psilocybin services. The survey also found that about 15 percent were interested in getting approval for a fa- Warrenton hires interim planner, makes progress on CM position Medicinal mushrooms grown at a farm in the Netherlands. cilitator training program, 36 percent were interested in facilitator licensure,