Cave Bear Watershed Restoration
Thanks to collaborative efforts on the Gifford Pinchot
National Forest, an agreement for priority forest restoration work will lead to
improved habitat for fish and wildlife as well as forest products.
The Mount Adams District Collaborative formed less than three years ago to develop strategies to deal with forest health issues and economic development opportunities on the Mt. Adams Ranger District. The Collaborative Group is a diverse group of stakeholders that includes membership from Underwood Conservation District, High Cascades Forest Products, Mt. Adams Resource Stewards, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Gifford Pinchot Accountability Group, Gifford Pinchot Task Force, Bear Mountain Forest Products, Friends of Mt. Adams, and independent citizens interested in the health of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and adjacent communities.
“Collaboration has helped us get to know each other as real people rather than interests,” said Lisa Moscinski, Deputy Director for the Gifford Pinchot Task Force, “allowing us to find agreement on possible solutions to the tough issues facing our Forest and community.” The solutions are evident in the various projects the Mount Adams District Collaborative is moving forward.
A project that has exciting promise is the Cave Bear Watershed Restoration work. The Collaborative Group envisioned a comprehensive approach to restoration and worked to collect information on commercial thinning stands and to conduct the necessary environmental planning for road restoration and maintenance of meadows and small forest openings. “The stand information helped the Forest Service save a year in the planning process for a commercial timber sale,” said Jim White, representative for the Underwood Conservation District, “and every little bit helps when we are working to benefit watershed health and create local employment.”
The road restoration and maintenance of meadows and small forest openings helps complement the Forest Service’s timber sale effort in the same watershed. The Collaborative Group has hired local contractors to start collecting the necessary field data over the summer.
“For the road removal aspect of the project we took time to consider access for future timber sales, fire, and recreation and balance that with environmental impacts” said Tom Linde, member of the Gifford Pinchot Accountability Group. “These are our initial project plans and we hope to hear from the public and utilize data gathered from the contractors to refine the proposal over the summer and fall.”
According to studies by the University of Oregon, restoration work is increasingly an economic driver in rural communities. The studies found that for every million dollars of public investment in restoration projects it supports 16.7 jobs in Oregon and is multiplied 1.7 to 2.6 times by economic activity as it cycles through the state’s economy. The Mount Adams District Collaborative is excited to be able to increase the work available for local communities and benefit watershed health.
If you are interested in reviewing the proposal or map locations for road restoration and maintenance of meadows, visit the Gifford Pinchot National Forest website at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/gp/projects.
