The Sweet Home Ranger District of the Willamette National Forest is seeking public comment on proposed projects of young stand density management, conifer tree pruning, and wildlife habitat and forage improvement.
According to a scoping letter issued by District Ranger Nikki Swanson last week, The projects will occur east of Sweet Home in the Quartzville, Upper North Santiam, Middle Santiam, South Santiam, Upper McKenzie, Blowout, Thomas, Wiley and Calapooia watersheds.
A decision about this project is expected this summer, Swanson said, with implementation beginning late this summer.
Swanson said the purpose of these projects is to prune and reduce the stocking levels of planted stands that are approximately 10 to 30 years old. These actions will increase tree growth, improve forest health, reduce long-term fuel loads, provide forage and habitat for wildlife and increase huckleberry habitat.
“Currently, the proposed stands are overstocked and beginning to compete for resources, and will eventually create a closed canopy reducing the understory vegetation and the health of the trees. The project area spans approximately 4,700 acres and will be completed over several years. These stands are spread across a variety of management areas with different objectives.”
Of the proposed acres, the majority lie in adaptive management areas, late successional reserves and general forest lands. The same treatments will occur in scenic areas. Huckleberry habitat improvement will take place in the Cougar Rock Special Interest Area. Some of the projects will take place in riparian reserves, in coniferous stands that are very dense.
According to the district, the work will be done “exclusively” on foot, with chain saws and by hand.
Thinning will decrease density from approximately 600 trees per acre ( on the average) to 200 to 300 trees per acre.
“This will release young, overstocked stands from competition and stimulate diameter and height growth and canopy development of the selected leave trees,” Swanson said.
Tree species that will be prioritized in the thinning projects will be Douglas fir, noble fir and cedar, with emphasis on retaining minor species, stream buffers, and spacing variety. In some areas, “conifer tree pruning will be done for disease control which will improve timber quality and light to the forest floor, therefore promoting vegetation growth for wildlife forage.”
Competing vegetation such as ceanothus, rhododendron, chinquapin and vine maple will be cut back away from trees, Swanson said.
“In all other circumstances, no hardwoods will be cut. Pacific yew will not be cut.”
Swanson said the project will not include any road construction or re-construction, and is not expected to impact water quality or aquatic-dependent species.
She said the project could create local jobs as well.
Those seeking to comment or who have questions should address them to Lindsay Anderson, Sweet Home Ranger District, 4431 Highway 20, Sweet Home, OR 97386; or call (541) 367-3485 by Monday, by June 26.