JOHN DAY- – Seeking more public comment on the Canyon Creek fuels reduction program, the Malheur National Forest found varying degrees of support at a meeting last week.

A major concern for landowners adjacent to the project is the treatment of old-growth trees. In the past, the Forest Service stayed out of the old-growth preserves.- However, one of these old-growth areas abuts private land, and the Forest Service has to balance the needs of the fuels reduction program against old-growth regulations.

-Yet there are a lot of dead old-growth trees that could fuel a catastrophic fire, according to local resident Tad Houpt.

“How are they going to protect (these areas) if they’re not going to do anything?” Houpt asked.

The use of prescribed burning, in areas where the fuels are too thick to be removed by mechanical means, is also raising objections from the landowners, due to the concern it will destroy smaller trees in addition to the fuels on the ground, as well as disturb the wildlife in the units.-

The revised proposal calls for removing as many of the fuels as possible mechanically before the units are burned, said Lori Stokes, fuels planner, to reduce the chance of fires burning out of control. Also, the team will work with grazing permit holders to ensure they can use grazing areas before the units are cleared.

“Burning is not the best way to go,” said Houpt, a long-time resident. “They need a salvage plan before they strike a match. Anything that has value needs to be salvaged first.”-

Not managed properly, a prescribed burn could take out living trees, both large and small, and millions of public dollars could otherwise be lost, Houpt said.

A similar concern was voiced by Dean Elliott.-

“Prescribed burns will take out all the smaller trees,” Elliott said. “Eventually, all that will be left will be old-growth.”-

The way the land appears to the public is another concern for the project team.-

“Most people don’t have a problem with the plan, if the cleanup is done well up against the boundaries,” Ken Schuetz, wildlife biologist. One goal, he said, is to leave a buffer zone on each side of the creeks.

Some groups want to pressure the Forest Service to leave the riparian areas alone, Schuetz said.- However, according to him, the stream areas are likely to burn more intensely during a fire.

Arleigh Isley echoed that idea, saying the canyon walls could act like a reflector in a fire, creating greater heat in the middle. Further input from the audience showed a preference for creating fire breaks in riparian areas, to slow down the spread of a fire.

Currently, the proposal is to be more aggressive in removing fuels along the boundary of private land and Forest Service land, and use a slightly lighter touch in the middle of the project area.-

“We are all trying to weigh the decision of how much is enough and how much is too much,” Schuetz said.

Deer and elk habitat has been one of the primary concerns of the landowners.- Conversations between the public and the project team deal mostly with security and hiding cover, as well as bedding and calving areas.-

“We’re talking of leaving one- to two-acre patches untouched,” Schuetz said.- “In a 100-acre area, about 10-15 percent will be left alone.”- The proposal is to leave some 40-acre blocks undisturbed at times.

The team and area ranchers have watched the movement of large game through the project area, and plan to leave “connectivity corridors” to allow deer and elk to move along relatively undisturbed paths.

The team has appreciated the knowledge given by the landowners, because they had more experience with the project area than the forest service team could acquire in their visits to the area, Schuetz said.

Mixed input was received concerning creating fuel breaks along the highways as opposed to leaving cover screens for animals and landowners. A major concern is that there is a greater risk of fire starting along the roads due to human carelessness.-

“Our preference is for more open areas,” Schuetz said.

Most people in attendance felt the proposal, as presented, was a good step in the right direction.-

“When we implement this plan, we want to make sure we’ve done the best job we can,” Isley said.- “We need to document it and place it in context for future generations, to help them see what was done, and why.”

The team has removed about 30 percent of the units initially targeted for fuels reduction, due to wildlife concerns, riparian preservation and forest plan standards after three public meetings, two field trips and many meetings with individuals, according to Eric Wunz, project silviculturalist.

About 25 percent of the project area, or about 5,000 acres, will receive mechanical treatment. Another 25 percent of the area has received fuel reductions from past harvests.

The next step in the proposal development is under way as the project team gathers the final comments, which are due by Nov. 9 at the Blue Mountain Ranger District Office on Patterson Bridge Road.-

At that time, the project team will begin the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process by developing their scoping package, which will be available for review by the collaborative group, made up of area landowners. The project team plans to have the scoping package finished by late December, Wunz said.-

“We’ve worked with you so closely, we want to keep you involved,” Schuetz said.-

The next step will be to gather comments by the general public during a 30-day review period.- Then the comments will be reviewed and further changes will be made, if needed.-