I have lived in Southern Utah all my life. I have been directly involved with Timber Harvest on the Dixie and Fishlake National Forests. I am 1/3 owner of a sawmill in Bicknell which used to produce about 1.2 million board feet of lumber and other wood products each year. The last several years have told a different story. The environmental movement has all but shut down the timber industry in Southern Utah. It used to be a great industry and provided a lot of jobs. It has been sad for me to watch the forests being taken over by the bugs. It used to be if there was a bug problem, someone was allowed to remove the trees which were infested and prevent the spread of bugs and dying trees. I know that timber harvest doesn’t solve the bug problems we are seeing today, but it certainly helped. I love to spend time in the mountains but each year I see more and more dead and dying trees. Some day there will be a fire and then we will be left with a lot of ugly forests in my opinion. I for one would much rather see a green forest instead of a dead or burned out one. Timber harvest should be a part of Forest planning if the forests are to remain healthy and green. There are areas set aside for wilderness where people can go if they don’t want to see the effects of logging. There should also be areas set aside for timber production.
Comment by Ryan Torgerson — December 22, 2005 @ 2:49 pm
We appreciate your willingness to share you thoughts on the blog. Hopefully
others will feel comfortable sharing their feelings. It is very important for us
at the Forest Service to understand how people feel and how they would like to see
the forests managed in the future. This discussion is integral to writing a vision
for the future of these important public lands. In planning we provide the broad
direction and this broad direction will hopefully provide the needed guidance to
project managers in order to better reach our desired conditions (vision).
I hope others comment on what Ryan has shared and provide their own perspectives
about timber harvest, bugs, healthy forests, and forest planning.
Utah forests need to be managed holistically to maximize the sustainable long term multiple benefits including - air quality, water quality, water resources(quantity), habitat for wildlife, aesthetics, recreation, open space, appropriate livestock grazing, and wood products including lumber, pulp, chips, and fuel.
Balancing those uses and their benefits is the challenge. But it must and can be met through appropriate research, planning, balance, and monitoring. Unfortunately, some parties get so focused on one part or perspective of forest management that they fail or refuse to see the benefits of and beneficial balancing provided through carefully reasoned integration of multiple uses to the forest.
In the natural forest environment there were a constant and ever changing variety of impacts to shape and ‘manage’ the forest including meteorologic disruptions, zoological controls, natural fires, and soil constraints, among others.
In the past, some short sighted, blind over exploitation of forest resources caused serious problems when actions were taken without seeing or managing for the best sustainable long term holistic benefit. In reaction, some parties today call for complete withdrawal of human management and use. But society has so disrupted natural systems, that society must therefore manage to make up for what has been lost or destroyed. And it is evidenced in many parts of North America and the West, that Native Americans were significantly involved in managing forests and grasslands prior to European and pioneer settlement, primarily through ‘prescribed burning’.
Now, we have removed predators and thus increased population of deer and elk. We control fires which reduces aspens and groundcover and increases evergreen cover. That evergreen cover becomes a thick maize of toothpick trees which shade forest floors and prevent growth of grass or shrubs. This in turn results in significanly increased erosion, significant decreases in infiltration, and major swings in streamflow resulting from abrubt changes in runoff with storm events. These streamflow changes are damaging to both stream channel morphology and to habitat for fish and for riparian organisms.
Dixie Forest today needs to be carefully and appropriately managed to enhance and sustain water yield and water quality, enhance and sustain habitat for a diversity of wildlife, enhance and sustain approriate removal or harvest of wood fiber or lumber, and enhance and sustain the quality of recreational and/or residential experiences in the forest. To reach these goals may require appropriate and perhaps significant limitations on some actions.
There is growing evidence that soils in some parts of the forest do not have the capacity to aborb and process the high load of nutrients resulting from the existing and increasing number of septic systems. Perhaps limitations on building permits need to be instituted, or future permits be allowed only with use of non-septic systems such as the Clivus Multrum.
The extent of roadways which disrupt wildlife, increase erosion, reduce infiltration, and increase population impacts need to be limited. Appropriate logging and management of the forest to sustain water yield and quality needs to implemented and sustained.
Dixie NF is an irreplacable natural resource of great and essential value to the ecology and economy of citizens of Utah and the USA. It must be carefully managed holistically to sustain and enhance the multiple benefits which are derived from this ecological and scenic treasure.
organic competition
Comment by Rand Fisher — January 6, 2006 @ 1:48 pm
I agree with the use of appropriate logging and forest management. We need to lower the burden of evergreen to a more natural…40 feet apart spacing. This will increase grass cover and decrease the erosion.
Comment by Betty Stokes — March 23, 2006 @ 2:26 pm
The above comments are very aggreeable. And not to be lost is the economics. great
management is key. I have attended many of your meetings. And have had quite a few
discussions with those with apposing ideas. that is until I sat face to face with
them in discussion. We all want the same thing (basically) and you have been blessed
with the difficult task on putting it to work.
even roadless and wilderness areas need to be looked at for logging. If all you do
is prescribed burns then you still have a mess with the dead timber, good for some
wildlife but not all. Picking some of the burnt logs out of these areas would
certainly help. Not all, but MANAGED.
Managemnet should not need to worry about what can be seen from highways. It will
mend itself in time. Weather permitting with in a year or two. Good luck and see
you soon. Thanks for your efforts
Bart Albrecht
Comment by Bart Albrecht — March 25, 2006 @ 2:47 pm
I have lived in Southern Utah all my life. I have been directly involved with Timber Harvest on the Dixie and Fishlake National Forests. I am 1/3 owner of a sawmill in Bicknell which used to produce about 1.2 million board feet of lumber and other wood products each year. The last several years have told a different story. The environmental movement has all but shut down the timber industry in Southern Utah. It used to be a great industry and provided a lot of jobs. It has been sad for me to watch the forests being taken over by the bugs. It used to be if there was a bug problem, someone was allowed to remove the trees which were infested and prevent the spread of bugs and dying trees. I know that timber harvest doesn’t solve the bug problems we are seeing today, but it certainly helped. I love to spend time in the mountains but each year I see more and more dead and dying trees. Some day there will be a fire and then we will be left with a lot of ugly forests in my opinion. I for one would much rather see a green forest instead of a dead or burned out one. Timber harvest should be a part of Forest planning if the forests are to remain healthy and green. There are areas set aside for wilderness where people can go if they don’t want to see the effects of logging. There should also be areas set aside for timber production.
Comment by Ryan Torgerson — December 22, 2005 @ 2:49 pmWe appreciate your willingness to share you thoughts on the blog. Hopefully
others will feel comfortable sharing their feelings. It is very important for us
at the Forest Service to understand how people feel and how they would like to see
the forests managed in the future. This discussion is integral to writing a vision
for the future of these important public lands. In planning we provide the broad
direction and this broad direction will hopefully provide the needed guidance to
project managers in order to better reach our desired conditions (vision).
I hope others comment on what Ryan has shared and provide their own perspectives
Comment by Kenton Call — December 27, 2005 @ 2:05 pmabout timber harvest, bugs, healthy forests, and forest planning.
Utah forests need to be managed holistically to maximize the sustainable long term multiple benefits including - air quality, water quality, water resources(quantity), habitat for wildlife, aesthetics, recreation, open space, appropriate livestock grazing, and wood products including lumber, pulp, chips, and fuel.
Balancing those uses and their benefits is the challenge. But it must and can be met through appropriate research, planning, balance, and monitoring. Unfortunately, some parties get so focused on one part or perspective of forest management that they fail or refuse to see the benefits of and beneficial balancing provided through carefully reasoned integration of multiple uses to the forest.
In the natural forest environment there were a constant and ever changing variety of impacts to shape and ‘manage’ the forest including meteorologic disruptions, zoological controls, natural fires, and soil constraints, among others.
In the past, some short sighted, blind over exploitation of forest resources caused serious problems when actions were taken without seeing or managing for the best sustainable long term holistic benefit. In reaction, some parties today call for complete withdrawal of human management and use. But society has so disrupted natural systems, that society must therefore manage to make up for what has been lost or destroyed. And it is evidenced in many parts of North America and the West, that Native Americans were significantly involved in managing forests and grasslands prior to European and pioneer settlement, primarily through ‘prescribed burning’.
Now, we have removed predators and thus increased population of deer and elk. We control fires which reduces aspens and groundcover and increases evergreen cover. That evergreen cover becomes a thick maize of toothpick trees which shade forest floors and prevent growth of grass or shrubs. This in turn results in significanly increased erosion, significant decreases in infiltration, and major swings in streamflow resulting from abrubt changes in runoff with storm events. These streamflow changes are damaging to both stream channel morphology and to habitat for fish and for riparian organisms.
Dixie Forest today needs to be carefully and appropriately managed to enhance and sustain water yield and water quality, enhance and sustain habitat for a diversity of wildlife, enhance and sustain approriate removal or harvest of wood fiber or lumber, and enhance and sustain the quality of recreational and/or residential experiences in the forest. To reach these goals may require appropriate and perhaps significant limitations on some actions.
There is growing evidence that soils in some parts of the forest do not have the capacity to aborb and process the high load of nutrients resulting from the existing and increasing number of septic systems. Perhaps limitations on building permits need to be instituted, or future permits be allowed only with use of non-septic systems such as the Clivus Multrum.
The extent of roadways which disrupt wildlife, increase erosion, reduce infiltration, and increase population impacts need to be limited. Appropriate logging and management of the forest to sustain water yield and quality needs to implemented and sustained.
Dixie NF is an irreplacable natural resource of great and essential value to the ecology and economy of citizens of Utah and the USA. It must be carefully managed holistically to sustain and enhance the multiple benefits which are derived from this ecological and scenic treasure.
organic competition
Comment by Rand Fisher — January 6, 2006 @ 1:48 pmI agree with the use of appropriate logging and forest management. We need to lower the burden of evergreen to a more natural…40 feet apart spacing. This will increase grass cover and decrease the erosion.
Comment by Betty Stokes — March 23, 2006 @ 2:26 pmThe above comments are very aggreeable. And not to be lost is the economics. great
management is key. I have attended many of your meetings. And have had quite a few
discussions with those with apposing ideas. that is until I sat face to face with
them in discussion. We all want the same thing (basically) and you have been blessed
with the difficult task on putting it to work.
even roadless and wilderness areas need to be looked at for logging. If all you do
is prescribed burns then you still have a mess with the dead timber, good for some
wildlife but not all. Picking some of the burnt logs out of these areas would
certainly help. Not all, but MANAGED.
Managemnet should not need to worry about what can be seen from highways. It will
mend itself in time. Weather permitting with in a year or two. Good luck and see
you soon. Thanks for your efforts
Bart Albrecht
Comment by Bart Albrecht — March 25, 2006 @ 2:47 pm