I am concerned about certain aspects of the first round of forest modeling dealing with biodiversity. First, and most concerning, is the rough data which inexplicably shows that INCREASING specific habitat for red tree voles and amphibians will result in a DECREASE in their numbers on the McDonald-Dunn. This makes no sense, and does not inspire confidence in the other numbers that do not exhibit such a flagrant violation of logic. Second, why are there no plant species considered in the biodiversity modeling? There is no mention of understory plants at all. The forest is more than just trees; the biodiversity modeling needs to include shrubs, wildflowers, and forbs. If managed properly, the McDonald-Dunn can become a refuge for threatened or rare species of plants, including those of cultural importance to local tribes. Third, I wonder if there is any attempt made to classify various species according to their population status or ecological benefit. While certain management regimes may, on the surface, benefit greater overall numbers of species, does it not matter what those species are? We should manage it to prioritize habitat for native, threatened, and under-represented species of all taxa.
Anonymous
07/07/2024
Electric bikes and hover boards are ruining the experience of hiking and mountain biking in McDonald Forest. They are noisy and the people riding them seem think they they paid for unlimited access when they bought their electric bike or hoverboard. If they are allowed there will be no way to control them. The forest will become a motorcycle park.
Anonymous
06/16/2024
Last Friday (June 14, 2024) I saw a closure sign for the Woodpecker Phase 1 logging project. The sign was posted at the 500 Road gate. I hike there weekly and this was the first inkling that logging would commence in a little over a week. More advance notice sure would have been nice. I am writing to ask you to relocate the approximately 600-foot-long strip of Woodpecker 1 boundary that is immediately adjacent to the Section 36 trail starting at Cronemiller Lake and proceeding uphill. Please shift that section of the Woodpecker 1 boundary far enough away from the trail that the resulting logging operations do not become apparent from the trail. The entire Section 36 trail section along Calloway Creek uphill from Cronemiller Lake is an exceedingly important stretch of trail for me. For two reasons. Reason 1. To regain cardiac fitness, I have climbed Peavy Peak at least 400 times over the last four years. Each time, I return via this section of the Section 36 trail to wind down and appreciate the beauty of this older forest. Logging boundaries that are immediately adjacent to the trail will likely result in degrading the beauty and calming experience of a mature forest. The forest trail uphill along Calloway Creek is one of the very few good options that enthusiasts have for hiking in an old forest stand near Corvallis. <> You have already adjusted the logging boundary (away from the trail) a little further uphill after the first 600 feet. Presumably this is because the trail enters a portion of a mature forest reserve here. I would prefer you cut more trees elsewhere in the Woodpecker 1 project, rather than diminish the beauty of any portion of this trail. Reason 2. In the early 1990s I was a founding member and 1-year president of the Native Yew Conservation Council (NYCC). We advocated among all interest groups to seek new sources of the cancer drug Taxol, as the original source of the compound entailed stripping the bark from ancient yew trees. Our efforts hastened the efforts of Bristol Myers Squibb and Weyerhaeuser to source Taxol from the foliage of cultivated seedlings. During my advocacy with NYCC, I witnessed large-scale harvesting of yew trees, especially old ones. This pertains to my input because Calloway Creek should really be named “Yew Creek.” In my decades as a forester and outdoors enthusiast, I have seen very few populations of yew trees as dense and varied as that along this stretch of creek and trail. I have counted over 100 yew trees and some specimens are likely hundreds of years old. <> Indeed, even elsewhere in your Woodpecker logging operations, I implore you to avoid cutting any yew trees in your logging operations. Oh yes, and possibly one more pertinent request, if needed. Although the Woodpecker 1 map technically shows a particular tree to be outside of your proposed logging boundaries, please don’t fell the huge Douglas-fir wolf tree located just uphill from Cronemiller Lake.
Anonymous
06/11/2024
To the McDonald Dunn Research Forest -- I was able to briefly review the presentation and video. To think that this is the same OSU that played a leading role in developing the Northwest Forest Plan. You would never have guessed after reviewing this management plan. It is in most evey way upside down. This is not ecological forestry. This is not research into practices we don't already know about. This plan reads as a justification for harvest using a matirix bias towards a forestry of the past. It is the old growth and late successional trees that should make up 40% with rotations designed to support important ecological services -- climate change, clean water, biodiversity. The public deserves ecological integrity. The public deserves ecological forestry, a forestry that has multiple benefits to society -- not a forestry primarily in service to the market. The public deserves forests not plantations.
Anonymous
06/07/2024
"Thank you for accepting public input. I favor a management plan that maximizes conservation. I'm concerned about the current rate of clear cutting. "
Anonymous
06/07/2024
I attended and zoomed in on the public forum Wed. June 5. Here's what I said and would like a reply on my questions:
I want to know who chooses the "experts for your study criteria and management plan? I also want to know how you avoid conflicts of interest between the College of Forestry and the time industry (including the logging and Timber Management Organizations)? I represent both the taxpayers of Oregon and those who donate funds to support OSU "Research Forests". We want to protect the natural habitats, the biodiversity of our forests, and old growth habitats. We are horribly alarmed at the indiscriminate "harvesting" of your "Research Forests" and have witnessed the destruction of canopy forests and habitats. Do you have any true naturalists and biologists, ornithologists and independent surveys that address the protection of the many non-human inhabitants (like nesting birds, raccoons, bears, cougars, and the many rodents that inhabit wooded areas). There is clearly a bias towards allowing the exploitation of nature and putting "capitalism" before the environmental impact of logging operations. The animals, the birds, the ecological health of your forests do not have a voice, nor a choice and many organizations that we also support like Oregon Wild, The Sierra Club, and the Environmental Defense Fund have all witnessed how the OSU College of Forestry sets priorities and accommodates the Timber Industry over the health of our states forests and natural habitats. When will you set forth a plan to truly protect and preserve the habitats that are left? When will you honor biodiversity over making money? We look forward to your answers and will hold you responsible for "...the management plan for the McDonald and Dunn Research Forests", as well as the other forest projects that you support or are involved in."
Anonymous
06/05/2024
According to the recent Biden admin. policies, indigenous knowledge is described as a kind of best available science, not superior to western science. I'm concerned about this kind of hyperbole and exaggeration (that suggests it's superior), I worry that it backfires - because I care about indigenous knowledge. Whomever said this, we all need to exercise more caution.
Ellie Cates
06/05/2024
I am writing to express my concern regarding the detrimental impact that clearcutting and industrial forestry has had and continues to have on the mental health and wellbeing of our community. There is a critically tight bond between the responsible preservation of our old-growth forests and the economic health and mental wellbeing of our community members which I am uniquely able to observe as a mental health counselor. As a clinician working in this town, I can tell you that I am actively seeing this impacting my clients to a significant degree, and my colleagues in this community are observing these same trends. More clients are reaching out, distressed over heat waves and fires, questioning what the future will hold and what the world will look like with fewer trees and untouched green spaces. Our community is struggling to find a way forward that enables them to imagine a survivable and meaningful future, and the impact of OSU’s profit-oriented forest management and visible forest degradation only furthers this distress by threatening our home and wellbeing. We have to strongly consider the debilitating effects that environmental destruction - such as your 2019 old growth cutting- has on human health and wellness. Morbidity and mortality trends correlated to loss of forest land are not only deeply disturbing and harmful, they are also financially burdensome to communities. According to a study conducted by the U.S. Forest Service, In 2002, 100 million trees throughout the Midwest and Northeast were decimated by emerald ash borer. The counties that were hit by this suffered an additional 15,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 6,000 from lower respiratory diseases. As we can see with this example, the mental and physical health benefits we gain in immersing ourselves in undisturbed forests are astounding and awe-inspiring, and the negative effects of destruction of these green spaces will be just as vast. That you are actively engaging in this destructive forest management plan when you could so easily be a part of a mindful solution is absolutely shameful to me. You are choosing greed over community wellness and the worst part is, you have all the education, information, and resources to make a better choice and instead you choose ignorance. If you move forward with this plan and ignore the advocates who seek to protect these spaces, your legacy will be remembered as one of pride and community destruction rather than humility, innovation, and hope. I urge you to pause logging operations and incorporate a less problematic task force to focus on ecological sustainability and preservation within the McDonald-Dunn forest. Stop and consider that you have a choice here, one that can shift from causing harm and destruction to one which fosters hope and community wellness for current and future generations. I hope you will choose the right path. It is not too late, but soon it will be.
Anonymous
06/05/2024
Reference to “experts” who won’t self-identify is concerning. You see the problem here, yes? Sadly it reminds of the recent past when experts were very clearly apologists for the timber industry, are these the same experts? How would anyone know? You can do better than the department of forestry past. So do better.
Anonymous
06/05/2024
All of the questions about experts make me realize that ultimately this is a question of ethics - a question about how we ought to manage or steward the forest. You have a lot of people who are experts at describing things, but do you have any ethics experts. Maybe not. But why not? If so, why don't we hear from or include those experts.
Anonymous
06/04/2024
As a Benton County resident, I am stunned - quite frankly - at OSU's recent history of McDonald Dunn forest management practices, i.e., clear cut logging of old-growth and mature trees in the name of financial profit. During a time of incredibly destructive climate change, every single person and entity must do everything possible to mitigate damage already done, and take every measure to protect our fragile future. Every single person relies on more than 20,000 breaths of air; approximately 8 glasses of clean drinkable water; and 3 plates of healthy food every single day - all of which are made possible by healthy diverse forests. We all benefit greatly from free-of-charge ecosystem services provided by healthy diverse forests. Our very existence is also compromised by prioritizing financial profit over forest health and integrity. OSU's management plan must place a high priority on supporting any and all strategic actions leading to a diverse forest representative of Pacific NW native tree and plant species. Management priorities must also include careful management of fragile stream embankments to prevent erosion and the spread of noxious weeds and non-native species. OSU's management plan must also create habitat conditions that provide for a diverse population of native insect, bird, amphibian, mammal and other wildlife species once found in the McDonald Dunn Forest. We - as a community - owe it to ourselves and our forest inhabitants the chance to calm climate change and support a healthy way of life by protecting lands, waters and wildlife. I'm asking OSU to create and strategically manage the McDonald Dunn Forest for conservation purposes only.
Anonymous
06/04/2024
The forestry manager needs oversight. the current planning members were hand-picked by the manager,. This process should be both advisory and oversight. Members of the advisory group should be chosen both for their knowledge, and a certain number should be chosen by people outside the Forestry Department. A number of yrs ago several acres of old growth forest were logged. The investigation showed that since there was no official prohibition about this, an apology and new policy and procedure were developed. The revenues went to support the operations of the department responsible. That was just plain wrong. They should have used the funds to develop outside resources (aborists, e.g.) to do regular observations. Also, this experienced manager should have some custodial sense for the resource. Advertised as #1 Forestry School, one has to wonder what the students took away from that experience. Look for loopholes, exploit if possible, apologize, and collect the proceeds to boost the department budget.
Anonymous
06/04/2024
"If it is not being done already, I would suggest that the trail development coordinator and the logging boss communicate closely re: anticipated logging and minimizing effects on trails. For instance, the bonzai bypass that goes to the foot of the former bonzai route went in 2-3 years ago...beautiful, shaded area...saw a cougar there once, and Pacific Wrens were numerous. It is now an open dirt trail through logging slash. If I was a trail volunteer and I knew that would happen, I would not waste my time and effort. Similar thing happened on the Bombs Away connector between Ridge Trail. Peavy peak trails have been written up in Salem and Eugene as destination trails. That area was trashed, and opened some 6-8 wks later thru volunteer effort. The other thing communication will help is to NOT build a trail prior to logging planned in the near future. I would like to see some environmental impact statements out of other OSU departments, not as defenses but as factual assistance. The recent logging is certainly not a model to learn from; also students will need to deal with folks who care about the forest and who can explain what is happening, what we know about wildlife there and how we are mitigating logging effects. The temptation to take pictures and submit to people who rate schools is strong. "
Anonymous
06/04/2024
As a Benton County resident, I am stunned - quite frankly - at OSU's recent history of McDonald Dunn forest management practices, i.e., clear cut logging of old-growth and mature trees in the name of financial profit. During a time of incredibly destructive climate change, every single person and entity must do everything possible to mitigate damage already done, and take every measure to protect our fragile future. Every single person relies on more than 20,000 breaths of air; approximately 8 glasses of clean drinkable water; and 3 plates of healthy food every single day - all of which are made possible by healthy diverse forests. We all benefit greatly from free-of-charge ecosystem services provided by healthy diverse forests. Our very existence is also compromised by prioritizing financial profit over forest health and integrity. OSU's management plan must place a high priority on supporting any and all strategic actions leading to a diverse forest representative of Pacific NW native tree and plant species. Management priorities must also include careful management of fragile stream embankments to prevent erosion and the spread of noxious weeds and non-native species. OSU's management plan must also create habitat conditions that provide for a diverse population of native insect, bird, amphibian, mammal and other wildlife species once found in the McDonald Dunn Forest. We - as a community - owe it to ourselves and our forest inhabitants the chance to calm climate change and support a healthy way of life by protecting lands, waters and wildlife. I'm asking OSU to create and strategically manage the McDonald Dunn Forest for conservation purposes only.
Anonymous
06/03/2024
The forest plan is complex as there are many factors and trade-offs to consider. Please retain and update the excellent historical and structural overview found on pages 6-13 of the 2005 plan. I favor stress in carbon storage given the climate crisis we are facing. Retaining old growth and fire resilience are important. Recreation is an important value in our community, but a balance should be found. Minimizing impacts of logging and overuse should be included in the evaluation
Anonymous
06/03/2024
Large trees sequester carbon dioxide, a large factor in climate change. Studies done by OSU have shown the importance of retaining mature trees as well as ancient trees to help mitigate climate change. Contiguous forests are also important for many species. All uncut mature, large and old growth trees should not be cut, because there is more to learn about life while it is still living. Learning how to clearcut is not a difficult lesson; learning about living systems is. Corvallis, and OSU, should embrace the changes that need to be made and show that the studies conducted by environmental scientists are being utilized, not disregarded
Anonymous
06/03/2024
Could you provide for e-bike use on the main forest roads? I understand the desire to keep them off the single track areas. It would provide more recreational opportunities for elderly folks who need a little boost, and can’t otherwise use the forest. Having more forest management interpretation signs off the main roads would also raise awareness about research activities. You might also get more philanthropic giving , if you had a strategy that targeted getting older people out in the woods.
Anonymous
06/02/2024
Keep motorized vehicles/devices out of McDonald Dunn Forest. The impact of these vehicles will be high. For example, electrically motorized mountain bikes can easily do multiple laps around the trail networks greatly increasing interactions with other users. Instead of a hiker encountering a hiker once, they will encounter the same biker multiple times. This also leads to increased impact on the trail, not only because of increased trips, but also because people can ride up the trail that normally has mostly downhill mtn bike traffic. The electric battery & motors are easily modified to increase output which also decreases their safety in terms of being a fire hazard. The truth is that once electric vehicles are allowed in the forest there will be no way to controls it and no way to turn back.
Anonymous
05/30/2024
Global warming is the existential crisis of our times. Carbon capture is the single most important forest management goal for all timberlands. In the public interest, all students of Forestry at OSU should be educated about this crisis and contribute to research on maximizing carbon capture over the coming century. This goal should be applied to all McDonald and Dunn Research Forest lands. All mature, old growth, and never-logged stands on the research forest should be preserved in these categories to retain current carbon stocks and to serve as ecological comparisons (controls) for research on converting logged stands to the goal of carbon capture. Individual scattered old trees should also be left unharvested to evaluate carbon capture on an individual tree basis (for instance tree species comparisons). The only research on logging should focus enhancing carbon capture (such as fire resiliency). These research forests are a public domain and, as such, should be managed for the greatest public good. Presently, that goal is global warming. On another note, figure out how not to trash the soil with logging, as resulted from the thinning on Peavy Peak this last winter
Anonymous
05/29/2024
"Where the forest nears residential areas, consider using enhanced first management practices to reduce the wildfire/fire ladder risk to the homes. "
Anonymous
05/20/2024
"Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Mac-Dunn Forest planning process. I’ve not attended the meetings to date, but have reviewed the meeting summaries. My comments are: 1. Meeting summary 16 notes that the first chapter was entirely drafted by Oct 31, 2023, but with no mention of what it contains or how it compares to or retains the material presented in the superb Introduction and Description section of the 2005 forest plan. This section is highly educational regarding the history, geology, soils and vegetation of the college forests, and should be retained and/or built upon in the updated forest plan. It was drafted by experts in their fields, most of whom are no longer with OSU. 2. In particular, I recommend that you retain figures 4 – 12 of the 2005 plan, changing the caption of Fig. 5 to “Vegetation in 2005”, and updating Fig. 9 to include the most recent available image of the vegetation and land use. In Fig. 10, it would be desirable to show the most recently available stand age class distribution or include it as an additional panel. This update would be quite useful in deciding how to allocate the forest lands. 3. The plant association map shown in Fig. 12 is highly informative. Of the six associations, that including western hemlock (in the upper Soap Creek drainage) is quite rare – roughly 30 acres, as near as I could tell, barely 0.3% of the Mac – Dunn area. At least part of this area should be reserved. Doing so would provide an important research opportunity to determine how this plant community on the dry side of its range fares during the coming decades of global climate change. 4. Regarding the reserves and special interest areas shown in Fig. 13 of the 2005 plan, this needs to be revisited, as there are some old growth areas not included in the reserves and a need for other special area reserves, as mentioned above. One solution would be the inclusion of a process for evaluating and including additional reserves or special areas in the current plan. 5. Figure 23 of the 2005 plan shows annual harvest rates up till 2004 and should be updated to include the years up till present, so that one can compare current with past management practices. "
Anonymous
02/24/2024
Please build a flow-track (fast) trail from the top of hydra (rd660) traversing the gully leading to baker creek in a NE fashion towards Bomb's away. The trail should start at the top of Road 660, and descend (switchbacks) to 640/ knucklehead, then, importantly, it should then traverse SW to re-connect with 660. This way if someone ends up going down 600 then 640, they can head back to 600 to oak creek if they parked there-(loops reduce risks of getting lost). This would allow people to hike/bike a loop from oak creek, and enjoy the new bomb's away trail, and/or Hydra from Oakcreek parking w/o having to do an "out and back". This newly acquired property by the school should prioritize recreational use, as the north facing slope is a dense ecosystem, and the steepness at the top of 660 precludes safe resource extraction. It will also remain cool in the summer.
Anonymous
02/23/2024
Effectivly managing the OSU forests is an important task. Balancing all aspects of the forest is very important. Timber harvest is a key piece to this resource management. I strongly support the harvest of timber on the college forests to support the student logging program, generate money for research and student support, and allow for reforestation. This needs to be a critical component of the McDonald-Dunn forest plan.
Anonymous
02/20/2024
How do you address the extreme need for jobs in our rural forested communities? How do you address that the Industrial model represents a short boom followed by a protracted bust in terms of jobs and rural communities. I know of no exceptions. How do Jobs and community stability factor into your research and work?
Anonymous
01/13/2024
As you continue the process of developing a new management plan for the McDonald Dunn Forest, please hold as your highest value the preservation of mature and old growth forests ..... please do not put any more land into rotation/tree farm status. As the holder and steward of these public lands, and as an educational organization, please opt for more research on the biodiversity and function of the mature forest (including the avian, mammalian, reptilian, plant, and fungal communities).
I am concerned about certain aspects of the first round of forest modeling dealing with biodiversity.
First, and most concerning, is the rough data which inexplicably shows that INCREASING specific habitat for red tree voles and amphibians will result in a DECREASE in their numbers on the McDonald-Dunn. This makes no sense, and does not inspire confidence in the other numbers that do not exhibit such a flagrant violation of logic.
Second, why are there no plant species considered in the biodiversity modeling? There is no mention of understory plants at all. The forest is more than just trees; the biodiversity modeling needs to include shrubs, wildflowers, and forbs. If managed properly, the McDonald-Dunn can become a refuge for threatened or rare species of plants, including those of cultural importance to local tribes.
Third, I wonder if there is any attempt made to classify various species according to their population status or ecological benefit. While certain management regimes may, on the surface, benefit greater overall numbers of species, does it not matter what those species are? We should manage it to prioritize habitat for native, threatened, and under-represented species of all taxa.
Electric bikes and hover boards are ruining the experience of hiking and mountain biking in McDonald Forest. They are noisy and the people riding them seem think they they paid for unlimited access when they bought their electric bike or hoverboard. If they are allowed there will be no way to control them. The forest will become a motorcycle park.
Last Friday (June 14, 2024) I saw a closure sign for the Woodpecker Phase 1 logging project. The sign was posted at the 500 Road gate. I hike there weekly and this was the first inkling that logging would commence in a little over a week. More advance notice sure would have been nice. I am writing to ask you to relocate the approximately 600-foot-long strip of Woodpecker 1 boundary that is immediately adjacent to the Section 36 trail starting at Cronemiller Lake and proceeding uphill. Please shift that section of the Woodpecker 1 boundary far enough away from the trail that the resulting logging operations do not become apparent from the trail. The entire Section 36 trail section along Calloway Creek uphill from Cronemiller Lake is an exceedingly important stretch of trail for me. For two reasons. Reason 1. To regain cardiac fitness, I have climbed Peavy Peak at least 400 times over the last four years. Each time, I return via this section of the Section 36 trail to wind down and appreciate the beauty of this older forest. Logging boundaries that are immediately adjacent to the trail will likely result in degrading the beauty and calming experience of a mature forest. The forest trail uphill along Calloway Creek is one of the very few good options that enthusiasts have for hiking in an old forest stand near Corvallis. <> You have already adjusted the logging boundary (away from the trail) a little further uphill after the first 600 feet. Presumably this is because the trail enters a portion of a mature forest reserve here. I would prefer you cut more trees elsewhere in the Woodpecker 1 project, rather than diminish the beauty of any portion of this trail. Reason 2. In the early 1990s I was a founding member and 1-year president of the Native Yew Conservation Council (NYCC). We advocated among all interest groups to seek new sources of the cancer drug Taxol, as the original source of the compound entailed stripping the bark from ancient yew trees. Our efforts hastened the efforts of Bristol Myers Squibb and Weyerhaeuser to source Taxol from the foliage of cultivated seedlings. During my advocacy with NYCC, I witnessed large-scale harvesting of yew trees, especially old ones. This pertains to my input because Calloway Creek should really be named “Yew Creek.” In my decades as a forester and outdoors enthusiast, I have seen very few populations of yew trees as dense and varied as that along this stretch of creek and trail. I have counted over 100 yew trees and some specimens are likely hundreds of years old. <> Indeed, even elsewhere in your Woodpecker logging operations, I implore you to avoid cutting any yew trees in your logging operations. Oh yes, and possibly one more pertinent request, if needed. Although the Woodpecker 1 map technically shows a particular tree to be outside of your proposed logging boundaries, please don’t fell the huge Douglas-fir wolf tree located just uphill from Cronemiller Lake.
To the McDonald Dunn Research Forest -- I was able to briefly review the presentation and video. To think that this is the same OSU that played a leading role in developing the Northwest Forest Plan. You would never have guessed after reviewing this management plan. It is in most evey way upside down. This is not ecological forestry. This is not research into practices we don't already know about. This plan reads as a justification for harvest using a matirix bias towards a forestry of the past. It is the old growth and late successional trees that should make up 40% with rotations designed to support important ecological services -- climate change, clean water, biodiversity. The public deserves ecological integrity. The public deserves ecological forestry, a forestry that has multiple benefits to society -- not a forestry primarily in service to the market. The public deserves forests not plantations.
"Thank you for accepting public input. I favor a management plan that maximizes conservation. I'm concerned about the current rate of clear cutting. "
I attended and zoomed in on the public forum Wed. June 5. Here's what I said and would like a reply on my questions:
I want to know who chooses the "experts for your study criteria and management plan? I also want to know how you avoid conflicts of interest between the College of Forestry and the time industry (including the logging and Timber Management Organizations)? I represent both the taxpayers of Oregon and those who donate funds to support OSU "Research Forests". We want to protect the natural habitats, the biodiversity of our forests, and old growth habitats. We are horribly alarmed at the indiscriminate "harvesting" of your "Research Forests" and have witnessed the destruction of canopy forests and habitats. Do you have any true naturalists and biologists, ornithologists and independent surveys that address the protection of the many non-human inhabitants (like nesting birds, raccoons, bears, cougars, and the many rodents that inhabit wooded areas). There is clearly a bias towards allowing the exploitation of nature and putting "capitalism" before the environmental impact of logging operations. The animals, the birds, the ecological health of your forests do not have a voice, nor a choice and many organizations that we also support like Oregon Wild, The Sierra Club, and the Environmental Defense Fund have all witnessed how the OSU College of Forestry sets priorities and accommodates the Timber Industry over the health of our states forests and natural habitats. When will you set forth a plan to truly protect and preserve the habitats that are left? When will you honor biodiversity over making money? We look forward to your answers and will hold you responsible for "...the management plan for the McDonald and Dunn Research Forests", as well as the other forest projects that you support or are involved in."
According to the recent Biden admin. policies, indigenous knowledge is described as a kind of best available science, not superior to western science. I'm concerned about this kind of hyperbole and exaggeration (that suggests it's superior), I worry that it backfires - because I care about indigenous knowledge. Whomever said this, we all need to exercise more caution.
I am writing to express my concern regarding the detrimental impact that clearcutting and industrial forestry has had and continues to have on the mental health and wellbeing of our community. There is a critically tight bond between the responsible preservation of our old-growth forests and the economic health and mental wellbeing of our community members which I am uniquely able to observe as a mental health counselor. As a clinician working in this town, I can tell you that I am actively seeing this impacting my clients to a significant degree, and my colleagues in this community are observing these same trends. More clients are reaching out, distressed over heat waves and fires, questioning what the future will hold and what the world will look like with fewer trees and untouched green spaces. Our community is struggling to find a way forward that enables them to imagine a survivable and meaningful future, and the impact of OSU’s profit-oriented forest management and visible forest degradation only furthers this distress by threatening our home and wellbeing. We have to strongly consider the debilitating effects that environmental destruction - such as your 2019 old growth cutting- has on human health and wellness. Morbidity and mortality trends correlated to loss of forest land are not only deeply disturbing and harmful, they are also financially burdensome to communities. According to a study conducted by the U.S. Forest Service, In 2002, 100 million trees throughout the Midwest and Northeast were decimated by emerald ash borer. The counties that were hit by this suffered an additional 15,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 6,000 from lower respiratory diseases. As we can see with this example, the mental and physical health benefits we gain in immersing ourselves in undisturbed forests are astounding and awe-inspiring, and the negative effects of destruction of these green spaces will be just as vast. That you are actively engaging in this destructive forest management plan when you could so easily be a part of a mindful solution is absolutely shameful to me. You are choosing greed over community wellness and the worst part is, you have all the education, information, and resources to make a better choice and instead you choose ignorance. If you move forward with this plan and ignore the advocates who seek to protect these spaces, your legacy will be remembered as one of pride and community destruction rather than humility, innovation, and hope. I urge you to pause logging operations and incorporate a less problematic task force to focus on ecological sustainability and preservation within the McDonald-Dunn forest. Stop and consider that you have a choice here, one that can shift from causing harm and destruction to one which fosters hope and community wellness for current and future generations. I hope you will choose the right path. It is not too late, but soon it will be.
Reference to “experts” who won’t self-identify is concerning. You see the problem here, yes? Sadly it reminds of the recent past when experts were very clearly apologists for the timber industry, are these the same experts? How would anyone know? You can do better than the department of forestry past. So do better.
All of the questions about experts make me realize that ultimately this is a question of ethics - a question about how we ought to manage or steward the forest. You have a lot of people who are experts at describing things, but do you have any ethics experts. Maybe not. But why not? If so, why don't we hear from or include those experts.
As a Benton County resident, I am stunned - quite frankly - at OSU's recent history of McDonald Dunn forest management practices, i.e., clear cut logging of old-growth and mature trees in the name of financial profit. During a time of incredibly destructive climate change, every single person and entity must do everything possible to mitigate damage already done, and take every measure to protect our fragile future. Every single person relies on more than 20,000 breaths of air; approximately 8 glasses of clean drinkable water; and 3 plates of healthy food every single day - all of which are made possible by healthy diverse forests. We all benefit greatly from free-of-charge ecosystem services provided by healthy diverse forests. Our very existence is also compromised by prioritizing financial profit over forest health and integrity. OSU's management plan must place a high priority on supporting any and all strategic actions leading to a diverse forest representative of Pacific NW native tree and plant species. Management priorities must also include careful management of fragile stream embankments to prevent erosion and the spread of noxious weeds and non-native species. OSU's management plan must also create habitat conditions that provide for a diverse population of native insect, bird, amphibian, mammal and other wildlife species once found in the McDonald Dunn Forest. We - as a community - owe it to ourselves and our forest inhabitants the chance to calm climate change and support a healthy way of life by protecting lands, waters and wildlife. I'm asking OSU to create and strategically manage the McDonald Dunn Forest for conservation purposes only.
The forestry manager needs oversight. the current planning members were hand-picked by the manager,. This process should be both advisory and oversight. Members of the advisory group should be chosen both for their knowledge, and a certain number should be chosen by people outside the Forestry Department. A number of yrs ago several acres of old growth forest were logged. The investigation showed that since there was no official prohibition about this, an apology and new policy and procedure were developed. The revenues went to support the operations of the department responsible. That was just plain wrong. They should have used the funds to develop outside resources (aborists, e.g.) to do regular observations. Also, this experienced manager should have some custodial sense for the resource. Advertised as #1 Forestry School, one has to wonder what the students took away from that experience. Look for loopholes, exploit if possible, apologize, and collect the proceeds to boost the department budget.
"If it is not being done already, I would suggest that the trail development coordinator and the logging boss communicate closely re: anticipated logging and minimizing effects on trails. For instance, the bonzai bypass that goes to the foot of the former bonzai route went in 2-3 years ago...beautiful, shaded area...saw a cougar there once, and Pacific Wrens were numerous. It is now an open dirt trail through logging slash. If I was a trail volunteer and I knew that would happen, I would not waste my time and effort. Similar thing happened on the Bombs Away connector between Ridge Trail. Peavy peak trails have been written up in Salem and Eugene as destination trails.
That area was trashed, and opened some 6-8 wks later thru volunteer effort. The other thing communication will help is to NOT build a trail prior to logging planned in the near future. I would like to see some environmental impact statements out of other OSU departments, not as defenses but as factual assistance. The recent logging is certainly not a model to learn from; also students will need to deal with folks who care about the forest and who can explain what is happening, what we know about wildlife there and how we are mitigating logging effects. The temptation to take pictures and submit to people who rate schools is strong. "
As a Benton County resident, I am stunned - quite frankly - at OSU's recent history of McDonald Dunn forest management practices, i.e., clear cut logging of old-growth and mature trees in the name of financial profit. During a time of incredibly destructive climate change, every single person and entity must do everything possible to mitigate damage already done, and take every measure to protect our fragile future. Every single person relies on more than 20,000 breaths of air; approximately 8 glasses of clean drinkable water; and 3 plates of healthy food every single day - all of which are made possible by healthy diverse forests. We all benefit greatly from free-of-charge ecosystem services provided by healthy diverse forests. Our very existence is also compromised by prioritizing financial profit over forest health and integrity. OSU's management plan must place a high priority on supporting any and all strategic actions leading to a diverse forest representative of Pacific NW native tree and plant species. Management priorities must also include careful management of fragile stream embankments to prevent erosion and the spread of noxious weeds and non-native species. OSU's management plan must also create habitat conditions that provide for a diverse population of native insect, bird, amphibian, mammal and other wildlife species once found in the McDonald Dunn Forest. We - as a community - owe it to ourselves and our forest inhabitants the chance to calm climate change and support a healthy way of life by protecting lands, waters and wildlife. I'm asking OSU to create and strategically manage the McDonald Dunn Forest for conservation purposes only.
The forest plan is complex as there are many factors and trade-offs to consider. Please retain and update the excellent historical and structural overview found on pages 6-13 of the 2005 plan. I favor stress in carbon storage given the climate crisis we are facing. Retaining old growth and fire resilience are important. Recreation is an important value in our community, but a balance should be found. Minimizing impacts of logging and overuse should be included in the evaluation
Large trees sequester carbon dioxide, a large factor in climate change. Studies done by OSU have shown the importance of retaining mature trees as well as ancient trees to help mitigate climate change. Contiguous forests are also important for many species. All uncut mature, large and old growth trees should not be cut, because there is more to learn about life while it is still living. Learning how to clearcut is not a difficult lesson; learning about living systems is. Corvallis, and OSU, should embrace the changes that need to be made and show that the studies conducted by environmental scientists are being utilized, not disregarded
Could you provide for e-bike use on the main forest roads? I understand the desire to keep them off the single track areas. It would provide more recreational opportunities for elderly folks who need a little boost, and can’t otherwise use the forest. Having more forest management interpretation signs off the main roads would also raise awareness about research activities. You might also get more philanthropic giving , if you had a strategy that targeted getting older people out in the woods.
Keep motorized vehicles/devices out of McDonald Dunn Forest. The impact of these vehicles will be high. For example, electrically motorized mountain bikes can easily do multiple laps around the trail networks greatly increasing interactions with other users. Instead of a hiker encountering a hiker once, they will encounter the same biker multiple times. This also leads to increased impact on the trail, not only because of increased trips, but also because people can ride up the trail that normally has mostly downhill mtn bike traffic. The electric battery & motors are easily modified to increase output which also decreases their safety in terms of being a fire hazard. The truth is that once electric vehicles are allowed in the forest there will be no way to controls it and no way to turn back.
Global warming is the existential crisis of our times. Carbon capture is the single most important forest management goal for all timberlands. In the public interest, all students of Forestry at OSU should be educated about this crisis and contribute to research on maximizing carbon capture over the coming century. This goal should be applied to all McDonald and Dunn Research Forest lands. All mature, old growth, and never-logged stands on the research forest should be preserved in these categories to retain current carbon stocks and to serve as ecological comparisons (controls) for research on converting logged stands to the goal of carbon capture. Individual scattered old trees should also be left unharvested to evaluate carbon capture on an individual tree basis (for instance tree species comparisons). The only research on logging should focus enhancing carbon capture (such as fire resiliency). These research forests are a public domain and, as such, should be managed for the greatest public good. Presently, that goal is global warming. On another note, figure out how not to trash the soil with logging, as resulted from the thinning on Peavy Peak this last winter
"Where the forest nears residential areas, consider using enhanced first management practices to reduce the
wildfire/fire ladder risk to the homes. "
"Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Mac-Dunn Forest planning process.
I’ve not attended the meetings to date, but have reviewed the meeting summaries. My comments are:
1. Meeting summary 16 notes that the first chapter was entirely drafted by Oct 31, 2023, but with no mention of what it contains or how it compares to or retains the material presented in the superb Introduction and Description section of the 2005 forest plan. This section is highly educational regarding the history, geology, soils and vegetation of the college forests, and should be retained and/or built upon in the updated forest plan. It was drafted by experts in their fields, most of whom are no longer with OSU.
2. In particular, I recommend that you retain figures 4 – 12 of the 2005 plan, changing the caption of Fig. 5 to “Vegetation in 2005”, and updating Fig. 9 to include the most recent available image of the vegetation and land use. In Fig. 10, it would be desirable to show the most recently available stand age class distribution or include it as an additional panel. This update would be quite useful in deciding how to allocate the forest lands.
3. The plant association map shown in Fig. 12 is highly informative. Of the six associations, that including western hemlock (in the upper Soap Creek drainage) is quite rare – roughly 30 acres, as near as I could tell, barely 0.3% of the Mac – Dunn area. At least part
of this area should be reserved. Doing so would provide an important research opportunity to determine how this plant community on the dry side of its range fares during the coming decades of global climate change.
4. Regarding the reserves and special interest areas shown in Fig. 13 of the 2005 plan, this needs to be revisited, as there are some old growth areas not included in the reserves and a need for other special area reserves, as mentioned above. One solution would be the inclusion of a process for evaluating and including additional reserves or special areas in the current plan.
5. Figure 23 of the 2005 plan shows annual harvest rates up till 2004 and should be updated to include the years up till present, so that one can compare current with past management practices. "
Please build a flow-track (fast) trail from the top of hydra (rd660) traversing the gully leading to baker creek in a NE fashion towards Bomb's away. The trail should start at the top of Road 660, and descend (switchbacks) to 640/ knucklehead, then, importantly, it should then traverse SW to re-connect with 660. This way if someone ends up going down 600 then 640, they can head back to 600 to oak creek if they parked there-(loops reduce risks of getting lost). This would allow people to hike/bike a loop from oak creek, and enjoy the new bomb's away trail, and/or Hydra from Oakcreek parking w/o having to do an "out and back". This newly acquired property by the school should prioritize recreational use, as the north facing slope is a dense ecosystem, and the steepness at the top of 660 precludes safe resource extraction. It will also remain cool in the summer.
Effectivly managing the OSU forests is an important task. Balancing all aspects of the forest is very important. Timber harvest is a key piece to this resource management. I strongly support the harvest of timber on the college forests to support the student logging program, generate money for research and student support, and allow for reforestation. This needs to be a critical component of the McDonald-Dunn forest plan.
How do you address the extreme need for jobs in our rural forested communities? How do you address that the Industrial model represents a short boom followed by a protracted bust in terms of jobs and rural communities. I know of no exceptions. How do Jobs and community stability factor into your research and work?
As you continue the process of developing a new management plan for the McDonald Dunn Forest, please hold as your highest value the preservation of mature and old growth forests ..... please do not put any more land into rotation/tree farm status. As the holder and steward of these public lands, and as an educational organization, please opt for more research on the biodiversity and function of the mature forest (including the avian, mammalian, reptilian, plant, and fungal communities).