Report looks at Rogue Basin restoration

By Jeff Duewel of the Daily Courier


A 50-page report issued by the Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center analyzes every corner of the Rogue River Basin.

It cuts the basin into 173 pieces, called sub-watersheds, and maps show every logging road and stream over 3.3 million acres. It took the better part of a year to compile for Joseph Vaile, biologist for the Ashland-based conservation group.

The report came out in October, and can be read online at http://kswild.org/programs/restoration-and-collaboration

It appeals to land managers to remove small trees from overstocked forests and protect trees older than 150 years on 728,341 acres of old growth, all with the goal of restoring streams and reducing fire hazard near communities.

"We want this to be a starting point for widespread restoration in the Rogue Basin, which can produce jobs, clean water and healthy forests," Vaile said. "The Rogue Basin has been identified as one of the most biologically rich areas in the Northwest, and also one that is relatively intact. We have opportunities here that a lot of other places don't."

Among the key findings and recommendations of the report are:

• Remove or storm proof 1,293 miles of roads (out of 7,605 analyzed).

• Prioritize thinning of 166,000 acres of young managed stands between 40 and 80 years old.

• Prioritize thinning of 124,089 acres of high fire hazard forests on the edges of communities in Jackson and Josephine counties.

• Prioritize projects that help attain water quality on the 1,314 stream miles that violate state water quality standards.

• Protect and expand roadless areas.

"We think folks can do those things simultaneously," Vaile said. "You can remove roads and fix streams at the same time you're thinning trees."