Life on the Dry Side, Fall 2020, PDF Edition
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OSU FORESTRY & NATURAL RESOURCES NEWSLETTER NOTE: PagesFALL may be rearranged2020 and duplicated to accommodate need. See Pages window. Introducing OSU's New Extension Fire Program Adding educational and outreach capacity to bolster fire risk reduction efforts The Fire Program Approach Data-driven mapping helps tell the story and focus efforts Extension Fire Program Staff and Fire Service Areas A statewide team that values local connections A Brief History of Oregon, Oregon State University, & Fire Log Market Report Current prices and trends Regional News Central Oregon, Baker & Grant Counties, Northeast Oregon Life on the Dry Side Serving land managers and owners east of the Cascades Life on the Dry Side OSU FORESTRY & NATURAL RESOURCES NEWSLETTER Serving land managers and owners east of the Cascades Contributors IN THIS ISSUE John Punches Extension Forester in Union, Umatilla, and Wallowa Counties 3 Log Market Report 10507 N McAlister Rd, Current prices and trends La Grande, OR 97850 (541) 963-1061 [email protected] 4 OSU’s New Extension Fire Program Adding educational and outreach capacity to bolster fire risk reduction efforts Jacob Putney Extension Forester in Baker and Grant Counties 5 Baker & Grant County News 2600 East Street, Forest service considering amendment to the “21 in. Rule” Baker City, Oregon 97814 (541) 523-6418 [email protected] 6 The Fire Program Approach Data-driven mapping helps tell the story and focus efforts Carrie Berger 9 Northeast Oregon News Fire Program Manager NE Oregon National Forests awarded restoration funding 133 Richardson Hall Corvallis OR 97331 541-737-7524 10 Extension Fire Program Staff [email protected] and Fire Service Areas A statewide team that values local connections Thomas Stokely 14 A Brief History of Oregon, Oregon State Forestry and Natural Resources Agent, in Warm Springs, Crook, University, and Fire Deschutes, and Jefferson Counties 800 SW, SE Airport Way, Bldg. 4 Redmond, OR 97756 15 Central Oregon News (541) 548-6088 Welcome to Thomas Stokely [email protected] 16 Considerations for Overwintering Wildlife Daniel Leavell How can you help our four-legged neighbors during winter? Statewide Fire Specialist Peavy Forest Science Cntr, #348 3100 SW Jefferson Way Corvallis, OR 97331-5704 Our Oregon State University Forestry and (541) 737-7163 Natural Resources agents serve all counties in Oregon. Find your local office and agent [email protected] at: www.extension.oregonstate.edu/find-us Log Market Report Data courtesy John Lindberg (Oregon Log Market Report), supplemented by John Punches Log prices for most species gained ground in recent pine could complicate merchandising of timber from months, with many mills reporting significant increases mixed species stands. Success in these markets will for Douglas-fir, larch, grand and white fir. Ponderosa pine depend upon winter weather conditions and your ability prices were something of a mixed bag, climbing in the to access the timber, successful recruitment of a logger, Pilot Rock and Lakeview/Klamath markets but remaining and careful consideration of hauling distances. Such weak or non-existent in other markets. Unfortunately, is the mixed blessings of late fall log price increases. mills across eastern Oregon expressed little demand for Furthermore, the almost non-existent market for pulp pulp. On a bright note, the mill serving central Oregon complicates fuels reduction efforts, which are important has recently reopened, providing a much-needed market for your forest’s long-term protection. If you haven’t in the Redmond/Bend/Gilchrist area (prices were not yet already done so, I recommend contacting your area ODF available at the time we gathered market information.) Stewardship Forester to determine if you might qualify for fuels-reduction cost-sharing and grant programs. What does this mean for eastern Oregon forestland owners? If you happen to be in an area with improved Note: Since writing this report, mills appear to be log prices this could be the time to sell, but wet winter ramping up their log buying efforts. A conversation with conditions could hinder access and limited demand for your local log buyer may be time well spent. LOG MARKET REPORT $/1,000 board feet (or ton) November 15, 2020 Umatilla/Pendleton/Boardman Ponderosa Pine Engelmann Pulp/Chip Douglas-fir/Larch Grand/White Fir Lodgepole Pine CR 6-11” 12-18” 19”+ Spruce Logs (ton) 400 400 280 280 La Grande/Elgin Ponderosa Pine Engelmann Pulp/Chip Douglas-fir/Larch Grand/White Fir Lodgepole Pine CR 6”+ Spruce Logs (ton) 430-440 300-390 300 300 27 Pilot Rock Ponderosa Pine Engelmann Pulp/Chip Douglas-fir/Larch Grand/White Fir Lodgepole Pine CR 12”+ 16”+ Spruce Logs (ton) 420 440 Burns/John Day Ponderosa Pine Engelmann Pulp/Chip Douglas-fir/Larch Grand/White Fir Lodgepole Pine CR 6-7” 8-11" 12-17" 18"+ Spruce Logs (ton) 360 120 200 280 315 280 Redmond/Bend/Gilchrist – Recently reopened – prices not yet available. Ponderosa Pine Engelmann Pulp/Chip Douglas-fir/Larch Grand/White Fir Lodgepole Pine CR 6-16” 13-15” 16”+ Spruce Logs (ton) Lakeview/Klamath Falls Ponderosa Pine Engelmann Pulp/Chip Douglas-fir/Larch Grand/White Fir Lodgepole Pine CR 6-16” 11-23” 24”+ Spruce Logs (ton) 300 350 385 8”+ 300 8”+ 300 Lewiston ID Ponderosa Pine Engelmann Pulp/Chip Douglas-fir/Larch Grand/White Fir Lodgepole Pine CR 6-7” 8-14” 15-20” 21”+ Spruce Logs (ton) 520 485 420 420 3 Introducing OSU’s New Extension Fire Program Adding educational and outreach capacity to bolster fire risk reduction efforts By Daniel Leavell and Carrie Berger 2017 was a severe fire year. 2018 was even worse, setting a terrible record with over 800,000 acres burned across Oregon, resulting in ecological, social, and economic damage. In response, Oregon State University Extension Service went to work building a comprehensive and cohesive Fire Program to serve Oregonians. Following concerted efforts by Extension’s Forestry and Natural Resources Program, and lots of support from key partners, the Oregon Legislature approved establishment of a new Oregon State Wildland Fire Extension Program in June 2019. Led by Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR) Extension in OSU’s College of Forestry, the Fire Program added capacity for a statewide Extension Fire Specialist and a Fire Program Manager (located on the OSU campus in Corvallis) and six Regional Fire Specialists serving Fire Service Areas (FSAs) for the new FNR Fire Program. Many Oregon strategically-delineated Fire Service Areas (FSAs), derived communities are located in areas of significant wildfire risk. through careful examination of regional climatic and vegetation conditions and historic fire frequency attributes. Oregon, and help create fire-adapted infrastructure, The team will work both statewide and locally, bolstering communities, and landscapes. the efforts of agency and industry partners, communities, Forests, grasslands, range, and woodlands across the landowners, and land managers. The work to be done western United States are stressed from high densities in is too big for any one organization, but by facilitating forests and woodlands, drought, and insect and disease partnerships and working together the Fire Program is outbreaks. Past management practices along with more determined to make real impact on the ground, helping human-caused wildfire and changes in weather are to conceive and implement land management and fuel causing wildfires to burn hotter, longer, more frequent, reduction projects throughout the Oregon landscape. and over greater areas. Oregon’s communities are often The Fire Program will focus its educational, research, located in areas of significant fire risk, and homes are and analysis expertise on identifying landscapes with increasingly being constructed within the wildland urban highest needs for reduction of wildfire and landscape interface. It is time to change the way we collectively health risks, and helping partners and stakeholders conceive of wildfire and its management. The Fire strategically implement risk reduction efforts. As a part of Program is committed to promoting a proactive approach OSU’s Extension Service, the Fire Program will enhance to wildfire management and being an active part of education and outreach on wildfire topics throughout Oregon’s wildfire solution. 4 BAKER & GRANT COUNTY NEWS Jacob Putney, Extension Forester in Baker and Grant Counties FOREST SERVICE CONSIDERING fir, Douglas-fir) and more adaptive management. In this alternative, large trees are defined as >30” dbh for grand AMENDMENT TO EASTSIDE fir, white fir, or Douglas-fir and >21” for any other species, SCREENS OR “21 IN. RULE” and old trees are defined as >150 years of age. The second alternative simply replaces the size standard with In the early 1990s, concerns about a lack of old trees an age standard (150 years). The third alternative is an and old forest structure east of the Cascades led to the adaptive management only alternative, which focuses on development and implementation of standards known as effectiveness monitoring and implications of management the Eastside Screens, or 21-inch rule. Old trees and Late on tree mortality. and Old Structure (LOS) forests provide a variety of social and ecological benefits and are particularly important for wildlife. This standard restricted the harvest of trees larger than 21” in diameter at breast height (dbh), regardless of species. Tree size was used as a surrogate for tree age because it was more practical to quickly measure diameter than to core and age individual trees. What was supposed to be a temporary rule (12-18 months), has remained the current standard for the last 25 years. The 21-inch rule defined: (1) All sale activities (including intermediate and regeneration harvest in both even-age and uneven-age systems, and [post-fire] salvage) will maintain snags and green replacement trees of ≥ 21 inches dbh (or whatever is the representative dbh of the [dominant] over story layer if it is less than 21 inches), at 100% potential population levels of primary cavity excavators.