Forest
health is an issue of tremendous concern to many involved
with responsible forest management. It is estimated that
in Oregon alone, as much as 60% of the eastern forests
are dead or dying involving millions of acres of forest
land. This is a staggering statistic. This catastrophe
has been the accumulation of problems brought on by numerous
factors including Mother Nature herself.
Early turn-of-the-century selective species logging
practices, combined with intensive fire suppression has
allowed the predominantly pine forests to be encroached
with shade tolerant true firs and Douglas-firs. Without
the periodic light ground fires to reduce their numbers,
the shade-tolerant species proliferated and continued
to over-populate to beyond desirable densities. Thus extending
their range beyond their eastern boundaries into geologic
and climatic conditions not particularly suitable for
their species.
These conditions further weakened the tree stands where
individuals were competing for available soil nutrients,
sunlight and less than adequate water, allowing disease
and insect infestation to take a much higher than average
toll on the weakened forest eco-system. Also, over the
last 7 years, this region has been in a severe drought,
with below averages of rainfall and snow packs. The dry
conditions have increased the bug activity and weakened
the trees further making them more susceptible to insect
damage.
Coupled with the already dry conditions, bug damage
and the resultant dead and dying forests, fuel loads are
building up at exorbitant levels, 10-20 times what natural
levels were. Under normal dry conditions fire can always
be a disaster, however at this point our forests are at
an explosive level. Unfortunately the question is not,
if fire strikes, but when and how severe, and how much
can we do now to save what is left?
The real fear is that if fires get started in these
areas, we may not be able to put them out. We could have
another 'Yellowstone' on our hands where fire can burn
so hot that it sterilizes the soil and nutrients and can
turn clays in hard baked 'pottery' preventing re-growth
from occurring for who-knows-how-long and involving huge
areas.
This can have a very real impact on not only the forest
eco-system, but water sheds, wildlife, stream habitat
for native fish and air quality for many years to come.
Some species of wildlife could suffer irreversible gene-pool
loss and/or have their habitat totally eliminated.
The problem is compounded even further by the bureaucracy
involved at even the most deliberate attempts at salvaging
timber sales, which would benefit the forest. Timber sales
and/or salvage sales are one management tool available
to help reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, and
help replace dead forests with new, healthy ones. Salvage
attempts, if conducted immediately, would still have some
commercial value, and yet be a viable 'non-cost' to the
National Forest involved. Waiting and 'wading' through
the bureaucratic process involving years of current regulations
would place the dead and dying fuel load removal and Eco-System
Restoration into an ever increasing expense, involving
unknown millions, if then even possible.
The problem here has been a lack of management. Now
it's time that we act, applying sound Eco-System Restoration
objectives. We need put away the bureaucratic agencies
red tape, and quit worrying about 'who's on first', and
start working responsibly with each other to begin to
solve this problem. This includes the road-blocking, special
interest, environmental groups who have appealed or tried
to block every attempt at man's intervention into this
issue. Man has helped cause this problem over the last
100 years and if we're lucky we can help rectify it within
the next 100. But doing nothing, and leaving it to Mother
Nature, will have irreversibly catastrophic consequences.
When we manage our forests they will provide all that
we deem desirable in quality of life, both for the health
of the forest and for us. We've learned over the years,
through modern forestry science, how to accomplish what's
necessary, at least to get started. Over the next few
years we'll know even more... as long as we are able to
apply sound management principles which we already know...
and get the politics out of the way.
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Dead
and dying forests of eastern Washington and Oregon
caused by uncontrolled insect infestation. This
has been a result of several circumstances. Early
turn-of-the-century selective species harvesting
practices, fire suppression, encroachment of other
tree species into predominately pine forests, and
prolonged drought, which has weakened the trees
making them more susceptible to disease.
Recently
burned dead forests which were killed by insect
and disease. The dead trees added to the fuel
load when fire struck, thereby allowing the fire
to burn much hotter and having a much more devastating
effect on the forest. Hot fires sterilize the soil
eliminating nutrients that would have normally been
available to feed the next forest growth.
A
healthy forest that has been logged and replanted
where insect infestation has been controlled and
continually monitored. As you can see these
are healthy trees free from diseaae and bug damage.