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The California Fire Science Seminar Series is one of my favorites.  There’s also a Q&A afterwards with the presenter

Here’s a link to Kevin Bladon’s presentation from a few weeks ago. I thought the whole thing was interesting.

About 30 minutes in, there’s a discussion of some research on salvage logging and water quality/quantity and soils, with different studies finding different things.  During the Q&A, I asked Bladon whether he had any ideas based on his experience in the field, of preferred salvage practices. He did and I encouraged him to publish some kind of “helpful summary for practitioners.” We (various folks on the Zoom) had a discussion as to whether if such a paper were produced by him through OSU Extension, would it make it to NEPA people and sale planners in the Forest Service?  I wasn’t sure, so anyone who has an opinion, please chime in.

The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities has announced an “Innovative Finance for National Forests (IFNF) grant program supports the development and implementation of innovative finance models that leverage private and public capital other than US Forest Service (USFS) appropriations to support the resilience of the National Forest System (NFS). ”

IFNF grants could, but are not limited to, support of innovative finance models that:

• Enable debt or equity financing from public or private sources to pay for the upfront costs of a project that will be paid back over time by project beneficiaries (payors);
• Access new or existing markets for environmental goods or services;
• Access user-based fees or contributions;
• Increase pace and scale of implementation by blending multiple sources of funding;
• Employ any combination of the approaches listed above.

The IFNF grant program is funded by the USDA Forest Service (USFS) National Partnership Office (NPO) and U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (Endowment). Additional administrative and technical support is provided by the National Forest Foundation (NFF).

Some of you may be interested in this press release from WildEarth Guardians.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08), Mike Simpson (ID-02), and Derek Kilmer (WA-06) introduced a bill to re-establish the Forest Service Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Program. Recognizing the need to improve national forest lands and waters to be more resilient to impacts from climate change, the legislation addresses the impacts from the Forest Service’s massive and deteriorating road and trail infrastructure. U.S. Representatives Joe Neguse (CO-02) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) are original co-sponsors of the Act.

The U.S. Forest Service manages twice as many road miles as the national highway system with only a small fraction of the budget. More than 370,000 miles of roads, built half a century ago, require over $3.2 billion in unfulfilled maintenance needs. Hundreds of thousands of culverts, more than 13,000 bridges and 159,000 miles of trails are all components of the agency’s dilapidated infrastructure that keep road engineers awake at night with worry.

The implications of decaying and abandoned infrastructure are severe. Crumbling roads bleed sediment into rivers, creeks, and wetlands, endangering fish and other aquatic wildlife. Failing and undersized culverts block fish like salmon and trout from migrating to spawning grounds or reaching cold water refugia. Habitat sliced into small pieces by roads harms wildlife like grizzly bear and elk. And as more and more of the American public seek outdoor retreats, they often find roads are closed due to storm damage and safety concerns.

“The Representatives’ Legacy Roads and Trails bill addresses the past by healing the harm from so many miles and miles of worsening roads,” said Marlies Wierenga, Pacific Northwest Conservation Manager for WildEarth Guardians. “But the bill also looks to the future by strategically reconnecting habitat for migrating wildlife and fish, protecting clean water for communities, and ensuring access in a changing climate.”

The Legacy Roads and Trails program (established in 2008 and subsequently defunded in 2018) proved to be an effective, no-waste program with demonstrated results. For a decade, the program supported projects such as fixing roads and trails to withstand more intense storms, and decommissioning obsolete roads. It also funded projects to remove or expand culverts under roads to allow fish passage. The program has a proven track record of saving taxpayer money, improving habitat, creating jobs, and guaranteeing safer access for all.

“Legacy Roads and Trails works. The Forest Service found that sediment entering streams decreased by 60-80% after its roads were storm-proofed or decommissioned,” said Chris Krupp, Public Lands Guardian for WildEarth Guardians. “This is a huge benefit to downstream drinking water providers and the 66 million Americans who rely on our National Forests for clean drinking water.”

Increased funding to address severely damaged fish and wildlife habitat in national forests and grasslands will provide jobs to rural communities. Most of the funding in the program goes directly to on-the-ground work for local contractors and specialists. Heavy-equipment operators are particularly well-poised to benefit from the program.

“We are grateful and excited for Representative Schrier’s leadership with this important legislation,” said Marla Fox, Interim Wild Places Program Director for WildEarth Guardians. “Legacy Roads and Trails is uniquely positioned to shape a more resilient and adaptive landscape for wildlife, fish and waterways across the nation in the face of the current climate and biodiversity crises.”

Additional Resources

A 10-year accomplishments report on the Legacy Roads and Trails Program can be found here.

A Forest Service story map on Legacy Roads and Trails-funded work to replace 1000 culverts to reconnect fish migration corridors can be found here. Embedded are several informative videos including a 4-minute video available here and a 16-minute video available here.

Excerpts from an op-ed essay in the Sunday, April 18 edition of The Oregonian, by Ben Elkind (subscription), entitled “More Fires, Less Staffing, and Low Pay Taking Steep Toll on Wildland Firefighters.”

“I would almost do it for free. The feeling of complete focus and calm after jumping out of the airplane is hard to find elsewhere these days. But the chaos from life and the fire below are making me rethink my career, and that’s a big problem for Oregonians.

“I’ve been a smokejumper for the U.S. Forest Service for eight years and worked on the Mt. Hood Hotshot Fire Crew before that. I grew up in Oregon and can’t stand to see the wildfires ravaging our public lands and communities, while the smoke threatens our public health.”

…

“As the cost of living and home prices rise in the west, the Forest Service can no longer retain its employees when starting pay is $13.45 an hour. At the Lincoln City McDonald’s, just west of Otis, another community nearly erased from the map by wildfires, a sign in the window advertised starting pay is $15 an hour. My wife joked that I should apply there for more job security. She’s right. A career with McDonald’s is currently more promising than federal wildland firefighting.

“I’m an incident commander with advanced qualifications, supervising dozens of resources and fire crews on fires, yet I’ve never earned more than $20 an hour in my 14 years as a professional wildland firefighter. I make decisions that can cost millions of dollars with lives hanging in the balance, yet I am paid more like a teenager working a summer job than a highly experienced professional.”

Elkind makes some good points, but overtime and hazard pay can make for a big boost in pay.

Maybe this will give us material for continuing the discussions of salvage logging….

Salvage Science Webinar Series

View the recorded webinars on YouTube. Click here to register for a panel discussion with presenters on May 6 from 1:00 – 2:30pm MDT.

• Incorporating Woodpecker Habitat into Design of Post-Fire Salvage Logging. — Vicki Saab, Research Biologist, Rocky Mountain Research Station & Jonathan Dudley, Ecologist, Rocky Mountain Research Station

• Post-Fire Salvage Logging Effects on Soils, Runoff, and Sediment Production in Western Watersheds. — Joe Wagenbrenner, Research Hydrologist, Pacific Southwest Research Station

• Is that Tree Dead? Predicting Tree Death After Fire for Salvage Decisions. — Sharon Hood, Research Ecologist, Rocky Mountain Research Station

• Understanding Post Wildfire Management Effects on Stand Structure and Woody Fuel Loadings. — Morris Johnson, Research Fire Ecologist, Pacific Northwest Research Station/FERA

Saw an ad for Rambo Electric Bikes and had to check it out. This is their top of the line, The Venom.

Doesn’t report a top speed, but says it has a range of 40 miles.

“The Venom is the best of the best! Delivering it all in one solid bike featuring a new Rohloff internal 14 gear speed rear hub, 48v 17AH battery and a 1000w Ultra Drive motor – no terrain is going to stop you! Paired with Maxxis Minion 26×4.8” tires and 4 Piston Hydraulic brakes, you have the recipe of a perfect hunting bike. From the mountains to the flat prairie, The Venom is you’re all-in-one ebike!”

Is this more of a motorcycle than a bicycle? I think so.

Salem Statesman-Journal today:

Environmental groups file lawsuit to stop post-fire logging in Santiam State Forest

The state wants to salvage 3,000 acres of the 16,000 acres burned. a few excerpts:

The suit aims to stop the Oregon Department of Forestry from current logging and stop it from moving forward with timber sales and hazard tree removal across 3,000 acres of state forest burned by the Labor Day Fires around the Santiam Canyon. 

The groups cited concerns over recreation, drinking water and forest health in asking a Multnomah Circuit Court judge to issue an injunction at a hearing scheduled for April 30. If successful, all logging would be halted until the case was decided. 

…

“Salvage logging the Santiam State Forest will do great damage to spotted owls, struggling salmon populations, water quality and forest recovery,” Noah Greenwald, endangered species director with the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a news release. 

Some locals disagreed. 

“The plan that was put forward is very responsible and only accounts for a very small percentage of what was burned,” Marion County Commissioner Kevin Cameron said. “It’s good stewardship to go in and use some of those salvaged logs and put them to use while supporting our community rebuilding efforts.” 

…

Within the 3,000 acres, there are two different types of logging proposed. Around 1,100 acres is proposed for “partial cut harvest,” meaning foresters would focus on cutting dead trees and leaving alive ones intact. The other 1,900 acres is “regeneration harvest,” which is essentially clear-cutting standing dead trees and then re-planting.

Here’s the WildEarth Guardians press release regarding today’s big news out of the U.S. Department of the Interior. – mk

CONTACT: Jeremy Nichols, WildEarth Guardians, (303) 437-7663, jnichols@wildearthguardians.org

Denver, CO—WildEarth Guardians today cheered Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s latest actions to protect the climate and public lands, and to restore transparency, public accountability, environmental scrutiny, and justice in the U.S. Department of the Interior.

“Today is a watershed moment in the history of the U.S. Department of the Interior,” said Jeremy Nichols, climate and energy program director for WildEarth Guardians. “With Secretary Haaland’s actions today, it’s clear the Interior Department is now working for communities, science, and justice. We are grateful for her leadership and bold action to put people over polluters.”

Secretary Deb Haaland issued two Secretarial Orders today, both of which take aim at the Interior Department’s sordid track record of prioritizing fossil fuel interests, supporting climate denial, and perpetuating environmental injustice.

Secretarial Order 3398 rescinds a dozen Secretarial Orders issued under the Trump administration that effectively mandated climate and science denial, and put fossil fuel interests first under the banner of “energy dominance.” These orders opened up more lands for fracking and mining, streamlined environmental reviews, cut the public out of the management of public lands and resources, and mandated ignorance of climate science.

Critically, with Secretarial Order 3398, Secretary Haaland rescinded a previous Order that lifted a moratorium on federal coal leasing. As a result, the moratorium on coal leasing adopted under the Obama administration is back in effect.

“Today’s Orders makes certain that the Interior Department is no longer going to serve as a rubberstamp for the coal and oil and gas industries,” said Nichols. “Secretary Haaland’s actions set the stage for deep reforms within the Interior Department to ensure the federal government gets out of the business of fossil fuels and into the business of confronting the climate crisis.”

Secretarial Order 3399 directs the Interior Department to undertake a series of actions to align its agencies with climate science and climate action. Among other things, the Order establishes a climate task force, mandates early consultation with Tribes and attention to environmental justice, and directs agencies to account for the costs of greenhouse gas pollution in their actions.

The Order comes as studies show fossil fuel production managed by the Department of the Interior is responsible for nearly 25% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

“The Interior Department is in a powerful position to drive bold action for the climate in the United States,” said Nichols. “Secretary Haaland’s actions today confirm that President Biden and his administration are seizing the opportunity to rein in fossil fuels and make climate action and climate justice a reality.”

Secretary Haaland’s Orders come as this week, hundreds of Tribal, justice, community, and climate organizations called on the Interior Department to end fossil fuel leasing on public lands and phase out federal oil, gas, and coal production.

“We can’t have fossil fuels and a safe climate and today’s Orders take a major step forward in acknowledging and acting upon this reality,” said Nichols. “If we truly have any chance of protecting peoples’ health, advancing economic prosperity, and achieving environmental justice, we have to start keeping our fossil fuels in the ground.”

This article has Arborists in the title, but the main story is about opposition by conservation groups:

Arborists say ODOT post-fires tree cutting is excessive, rushed

More than 20 conservation groups sent a letter Tuesday to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack opposing the post-fire roadside logging proposed or actively being carried out by federal agencies.

The roadside salvage (and cutting along power lines) I’ve seen in the Beachie Creek and Lionshead fire areas is indeed extensive, but not unusual compared to hazard tree removal in other areas.

Also, one can imagine the lawsuits should one tree that wasn’t cut falls on a car and injures or kill someone. As happened recently in California. This wasn’t a fire-killed tree, but some folks have pointed to the state and feds for failing to identify the hazard and remove the tree.

We issued this press release today.

WildEarth Guardians scores big protections for wildlife in New Mexico

Agreement with USDA’s Wildlife Services curbs killing of cougars, bears, and other native species

SANTA FE, NM—In a major win for New Mexico’s wildlife, WildEarth Guardians settled its lawsuit against USDA’s Wildlife Services after the federal program agreed to stop its reckless slaughter of native carnivores such as black bears, cougars, and foxes on all federal public lands; cease killing all carnivores on specific protected federal lands; and end the use of cruel traps, snares, and poisons on public lands.

The settlement additionally requires public reporting of Wildlife Services’ activities in the state, including documenting non-lethal preventative measures employed by the program. These protections will remain in place pending the program’s completion of a detailed and public environmental review of its work.

The settlement agreement comes after WildEarth Guardians sued Wildlife Services in October 2020 over the program’s reliance on severely outdated environmental reviews of its work. The agreement, filed with the federal district court of New Mexico, ensures that Wildlife Services will no longer conduct any wildlife killing in New Mexico’s specially protected areas such as designated Wilderness, Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, and Wild & Scenic River corridors. The program will cease using sodium cyanide bombs (M44s) and other poisons on all public lands within the state. Additionally, the program will no longer kill beavers, which are increasingly seen as critical to mitigating the effects of widespread drought.

Notably, the agreement also mandates that a program district supervisor reviews all wolf depredation investigation reports before a livestock depredation determination is made in an effort to ensure appropriate safeguards for the endangered Mexican gray wolves that inhabit southwestern New Mexico.

“It’s past time for Wildlife Services to start grappling with 21st century science showing killing wildlife in hopes of preventing livestock losses doesn’t work, is often counterproductive, horribly inhumane, and robs native ecosystems of critically important apex carnivores,” said Jennifer Schwartz, staff attorney at WildEarth Guardians. “We’re glad our settlement kickstarts this process, while affording New Mexico’s wildlife some reprieve from the government’s archaic and cruel killing practices.”

The settlement agreement, finalized on March 11, 2021, includes multiple temporary provisions that will soon become permanent parts of New Mexico law as the result of the enactment of the Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act (“Roxy’s Law”) earlier this month. Roxy’s Law—championed by WildEarth Guardians and its allies in the TrapFree New Mexico coalition—bans the use of traps, snares, and poisons, on all public lands in the state of New Mexico. While Roxy’s Law is set to go into effect on April 1, 2022, the settlement agreement ensures that Wildlife Services refrains from using these devices on public lands immediately.

“The past several weeks have seen incredible wins for New Mexico’s native wildlife,” said Chris Smith, southern Rockies wildlife advocate for WildEarth Guardians. “With the climate crisis, drought, and human expansion all taking a toll on our state’s biodiversity, it’s time we stop seeing wildlife as something that needs to be killed and culled and instead see it as something that deserves protection and respect.”

Wildlife Services is culpable of killing thousands of animals in New Mexico each year including coyotes, cougars, prairie dogs, several varieties of fox, and even endangered Mexican gray wolves. Per federal law, Wildlife Services must use up-to-date studies and the best available science to analyze the environmental impact of their animal damage control program on New Mexico’s wildlife and native ecosystems. Under the agreement, Wildlife Services must provide an environmental analysis of the effects and risks of its wildlife-killing program in New Mexico by December 31, 2021.

The settlement agreement also requires Wildlife Services to significantly increase its overall transparency with the public by documenting and releasing—via its state website—detailed yearly reports of its wildlife “damage control” practices. This includes the number and type of animals captured and by which method, the number of requests for assistance and the reason given (livestock protection, health and safety, nuisance, etc.), and types of non-lethal preventative measures employed by Wildlife Services or the party requesting lethal control. This type of detailed information has previously only been available through formal Freedom of Information Act requests, which typically take many months, if not years, for USDA to fulfill.

“A public reporting requirement will compel Wildlife Services to be held accountable to the general public for its actions,” said Schwartz. “We hope that this motivates Wildlife Services to employ practices in line with the values of the public and embrace the use of scientifically verified non-lethal conflict prevention.”

Background
Wildlife Services is a multimillion-dollar federal program that uses painful leghold traps, strangulation snares, poisons and aerial gunning to kill wolves, coyotes, cougars, birds, and other wild animals. Most of the killing responds to requests from the agriculture industry.

The program reported killing more than 433,000 native animals nationwide in 2020. Nontarget animals, including pets and protected wildlife like wolves, grizzlies and eagles, are also at risk from the program’s indiscriminate methods.

Over the last five years, litigation by WildEarth Guardians and partners against Wildlife Services has resulted in settlement agreements and legal victories in Idaho, Montana, California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and New Mexico, all curbing the program’s slaughter of native wildlife and making the program accountable for its activities.