April 1, 2016
Contacts: Jamie Knight, 541-786-2039
Christie
Shaw, 541-263-0661
OregonDepartment of Forestry’s Northeast Oregon and Central Oregon Districts have
partnered with the United States Forest Service to provide marking crews on
federal timber sales. This partnership is funded by the Federal Forest Health
Program initiated by Oregon’s Legislature during the 2013-15 biennium, and
included again in the 2015-2017 biennium, intended to increase the pace, scale
and quality of restoration on federal forests.
Seasonal
employees from Northeast Oregon (NEO) and Central Oregon Districts (COD) have been
working with USFS timber marking crews following the historic 2015 fire season.
This partnership has provided additional work through the winter for seasonal
firefighters, along with the chance to learn new skills. The department looks
for opportunities with cooperating agencies to extend employment for the
seasonal workforce. By providing longer term employment opportunities,
employees with valuable firefighting experience are more likely to continue
working for ODF.
with local National Forests in central Oregon have provided work for ten
firefighters working on six sale areas including Bull, Fawn Springs, and Vance
Creek, to increase the pace of implementation on a ten year stewardship contract
in the Malheur National Forest supported by the Blue Mountain Forest Partners
collaborative group. Other recent work has focused on roadside salvage projects
within the Canyon Creek Complex near John Day. Firefighters who spent August
trying to beat the blaze used snow shoes to access these same areas, marking
trees for harvest later this spring. Crews are also working with the Ochoco and
Deschutes National Forests in the Mel Stewardship area, and the Lobo and Lake timber
sales.
In northeast
Oregon, crews are working with both the Wallowa-Whitman and Umatilla National
Forests to provide personnel. Roadside salvage timber sales that occurred in
conjunction with the Cornet-Windy Ridge fires, near Baker City were marked in
the fall. Crews have also been working on the Henry and Whiskey timber sales on
the Umatilla National Forest, both of which are part of the Kahler Project that
was vetted by the Umatilla Forest Collaborative Group.
by side with USFS employees, ODF crew members are marking timber sale
boundaries and selecting trees for harvest. The work is guided by analysis
conducted through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The added
capacity provided through the Federal Forest Health Program allows harvest and
forest management activities to occur at an increased pace and scale. This
restoration work is intended to improve forest resiliency to wildfire, insects,
and disease and provide economic benefits to local economies.
information on the Central Oregon District and projects there visit www.ODFcentraloregon.com or contact
Christie Shaw, Jamie Knight can provide information on the projects and
partnerships in northeast Oregon.
