Editor's note: This commentary is in response to a letter to the editor in our Nov. 11 edition.
The Hood River County Forest is certified by the American Tree Farm System and has been managed sustainably under guidance from a thoughtful forest management plan for over 50 years. The county routinely includes public input from two committees appointed by local officials to advise on Forest Management and Forest Recreation Trails. The Hood River County Tree Farm Recreation Trail System is one of the most popular systems in the state and is a regional example of how extensive forest recreation can co-exist within an active tree farm.
To qualify for the Tree Farm Program, county management adheres to the Oregon Forest Practices Act, which is considered to have some of the most rigorous forest land use regulations in the U.S. The act provides protection for water, wildlife, a sustainable wood supply through required reforestation and a variety of other forest-based resources.
Annual timber removal is conducted with salvage, thinning and clearcut harvest types and provides enough raw material to build more than 300 homes annually. Local ecological conditions naturally support the county’s established management of predominantly Douglas-fir forests, making it one of the most effective and efficient methods of timber cultivation throughout most of the Pacific Northwest. Wildland fire professionals throughout the West recognize that the fuel management associated with clearcut harvesting on the Hood River County Forest can significantly reduce wildfire risk for extended periods when consistently implemented.
Judging forest management activity as “good” or “bad” based on the harvest method, like a clearcut, is not appropriate or considerate of the demands society puts on the dynamic forests in our world. Society is part of the calculus. Society has a heavy dependence on wood products, and in fact, it would be hard to live without using some type of renewable wood product such as building materials and toilet paper. To maintain a sustainable supply, there must be regulation and thoughtful management. However, if conducting business becomes impractical, the supply will be diminished. To that end, across the West a plethora of private and agency landowners blend a variety of management goals and objectives, along with a variety of regulations, that, when implemented, create a mosaic of forest patterns. These patterns tend to fall within the broad range of forest disturbance that we see occur naturally.
Hood River County does more than the minimum. County leadership has supported, collaborated and implemented forest management projects in partnership with conservation organizations. This includes initiation of a Carbon Conservation Project, and enhanced anadromous fisheries habitat that has garnered recognition by local wildlife biologists due to excellent benefits to wildlife created by county forest management activity.
For many decades, millions in annual revenue derived from the sale of forest products off the county forest provides critical funding for county services. The county submits to an audit of financial records each year and operates in compliance with Oregon budget law.
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Doug Thiesies is forestry director for the Hood River County Forestry Department.
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