Community members are invited to participate in a field trip to the Sweet Home Ranger District’s Trout Creek planning area Friday, Sept. 9, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Meet at the District Office Main Conference Room, 4431 Highway 20, Sweet Home.
The field trip will focus on plans to create fire breaks in the area by creating a hardwood fuel break and replicating the effects of forest fires to shape forest structure and diversity. The four sites selected are of interest because of their older ages (125 years), proximity to the Menagerie Wilderness and private forest lands, as well as critical habitat for northern spotted owls.
The Forest Service is seeking feedback on its plans to encourage stand health, vigor, species diversity and structural complexity in matrix areas; contribute sustainable forest products to local markets; increase structurally rich early seral habitat at a landscape scale by mimicking mixed severity fire; and improve fire resiliency and strategically manage hazardous fuels in high risk areas.
The field trip will have two major stops focusing on these harvest prescriptions:
The hardwood fuel break stand would be thinned to 30 to 40 percent canopy cover and underplanted with hardwood species to moderate fire behavior due to the higher moisture content of the fuels those trees produce.
The mixed severity fire units seek to replicate historic fire disturbance at the scale and impacts typically experienced. To do that, several units located close together are treated using similar techniques. In this case, some areas will receive low-level thinning, others will be thinned to a 50 percent canopy cover and some would see 30 percent canopy retention in aggregated clumps. Snags would be created and openings would be underplanted with cedar and pine species for diversity.
Participants should be prepared for a day in the woods. Wear long pants and close-toed shoes. Bring rain gear if needed and be aware that bees have been quite active in the area. While all areas are accessible by vehicle, there will be walking on uneven surfaces. Transportation and boxed lunches will be provided.
The Sweet Home Ranger District Interdisciplinary Team experts will be on hand to provide background and answer questions.
To participate, RSVP by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 7, to Sharon Kanareff at (541) 401-4811 or [email protected].