While the bureau struggles to address a low-elevation die-off, it is also conducting ‘regeneration’ logging — replacing healthy older stands with dense Douglas fir stands that are not resilient to fire or drought

By George Sexton

If you’ve recently spent time enjoying the gorgeous springtime weather around Ashland, you’ve likely heard the overhead whirring of helicopters as they have begun removing some of the dead and dying Douglas fir trees in the Ashland watershed above Lithia Park. This comes after years of climate change-induced drought and heat domes that have severely impacted forested watersheds throughout much of Southern Oregon.

The effects of climate change on our forests are dramatic and concerning. Here in the Klamath-Siskiyous, from the Ashland watershed to the forested hillsides in the Applegate Valley, we are seeing an unprecedented tree mortality of low-elevation Douglas fir stands due to the lethal combination of drought, heat domes and insect infestation. 

Encouraging hardwoods

The Medford District Bureau of Land Management has initiated a planning effort to remove some of the dead and dying Douglas fir trees while encouraging the development of hardwood stands — such as oak and madrone — that may be more resilient to climate change impacts like heat and drought. This project is called the Strategic Operations for Safety.

As a public lands watchdog organization, KS Wild’s job is to monitor proposed projects and encourage holistic management across all public lands, so it must be noted that while the BLM is struggling to address widespread Douglas fir mortality with the urgency it needs to, it is also conducting “regeneration” logging — which is the removal of healthy older forest stands followed up by planting dense young Douglas fir stands that are not resilient to fire or drought — across much of the forestland they are responsible for. One such timber sale is the South Clark Forest Management Project outside of Butte Falls, Oregon.

Selling resilient stands

Many of the BLM’s neighbors are thankful that the agency is beginning to acknowledge and address the dramatic impacts of climate change on public forests. However, there is concern that the BLM may be contributing to the problem by continuing to propose timber sales that log resilient older forests in order to establish the dense conifer timber plantations that will be susceptible to drought and fire, just like the Douglas fir stands being treated via helicopter in the Ashland watershed this spring.

The city of Ashland, the U.S. Forest Service and many private landowners are doing the best they can to address widespread low-elevation conifer mortality. It remains to be seen if BLM public land managers are going to alleviate or contribute to the problem. 

KS Wild Side appears every month and features a staff member from KS Wild, a regional conservation organization based in Ashland. George Sexton works as the conservation director for KS Wild. For more information go to kswild.org.

Related stories:

Ashland helicopter logging project on schedule and on budget (April 27, 2024)

Helicopter logging project in Ashland watershed begins (April 18, 2024)

Helicopter logging project to begin in Ashland watershed and Siskiyou Mountain Park (March 26, 2024)

Dead and dying trees in the watershed present fire hazard, council told (March 19, 2024)

Helicopter logging report set for Monday City Council study session (March 17, 2024)

‘This is a call to action’: BLM wants to log dead and dying trees in Southern Oregon (Dec. 20, 2023)

Study: 20% of Douglas fir trees in city-owned areas of the Ashland watershed are dead or dying (Aug. 29, 2023)

How Ashland put politics aside to save itself from fire (Feb. 3, 2022)