Conversations on the Forest
Conversations on the Forest is a program of collaborative learning discussions on the forests of Lane County and the Pacific Northwest, presented in a fireside chat and response format. The program hosts are Rob Handy, Roy Keene, and Kevin Matthews.
This page is used simultaneously as public information, and as a working page for program development by the core team.
Also find us on Facebook!
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Conversations on the Forest No. 11 — "If increased logging is not 'the answer,' then what is?"
Conversations on the Forest No. 10 — Forests, Fire, and Water
Kevin Matthews at the forum on O&C issues on August 26, 2013 - three minute video clip on YouTube
Kevin Matthews at the Timber Independence rally in Roseburg on September 13, 2013 - twelve minute video on YouTube
Tracking the DeFazio O&C forest industrialization amendment adding his scheme to HR 1526 which was passed out of the notorious House Natural Resources Committee on July 31, 2013.
Conversations on the Forest No. 9 — The Ups and Downs of Forest Biomass
- Audio of July session at Cozmic
- Video of July session at Cozmic — Alternate link for video of July session
Conversations on the Forest - November 2013 - 2013.1118
Conversations on the Forest - No. 11
November 18, 2013
"If increased logging is not 'the answer,' then what is?"
Many timber industry representatives and elected officials have echoed that "increased logging" of public lands in western Oregon is necessary to address some important problem, such as funding county governments or providing rural jobs.
In this Conversation, we'll outline a practical vision for improving the economic situation of both rural residents and forest-dependent counties - the opposite to continued reliance on the mythical net benefits of increasing logging on our already heavily-impacted forests.
Real rural prosperity involves reforms within the wood products sector, as well as an invigorated focus on all the other aspects of a balanced regional economy, like food, energy, specialty agriculture, recreation, information, health, and human connections.
Join Rob, Roy, and Kevin as we share practical examples of how Lane County can build synergies around our high quality of life, instead of tradeoffs against it, leveraging specific local strengths and bottom-up innovations.
7:00-8:30pm on Monday, May 13, 2013
at Axe & Fiddle, 657 East Main Street, Cottage Grove
Contact: Rob Handy rob@robhandy.com
More information: http://www.conversationsontheforest.org
Audio recording of this session is here.
Conversations on the Forest - September 2013 - 2013.0930
Conversations on the Forest - No. 10
September 30, 2013
Forests, Fire, and Water
The forests of western Oregon and the drinking water these supply for 1.8 million Oregonians are inseparable, just as today's wildfires, driven by unusually hot dry conditions, are inseparable from climate change.
As summer wildfires smolder into the Fall and diverging interests demand more from Oregon's forested watersheds, we'll once again take a deeper look, delving into the facts behind the claims.
Will more logging "save" our forests? What about our water? Does "thinning" help, or hurt? What about beetle kill and salvage logging? What about the carbon that goes into the air when a forest burns?
Join Rob, Roy, Kevin, and our special guest, fire fighter and ecologist Tim Ingalsbee, for a probing, evidence-based, free-range discussion of these overheated dimensions of the Oregon forest question.
7:00-8:30pm on Monday, September 30, 2013
at Cozmic, 199 W. 8th Ave. in Eugene
Contact: Rob Handy rob@robhandy.com
More information: http://www.conversationsontheforest.org
Audio recording of this session is here.
Conversations on the Forest - July 2013 - 2013.0708
Conversations on the Forest - No. 9
July 8, 2013
The Ups and Downs of Forest Biomass
Burning wood for energy is ancient. Why is there a push to burn more wood today - and does it make sense?
Long-term Oregonians remember wigwam burners dotted around the countryside, their spark-screen domes aglow in the evening. The steady stream of hog-fuel semis that fed a mountain of wood chips at the University of Oregon boiler plant growled well into the 1990s.
For decades, biomass cogeneration at paper mills and other big plants has continued quietly, while the green paint still shines glossy at the big Seneca burner in North Eugene. What's new on the scene is the emergence of large government financial incentives, plus renewed industry marketing, hingeing on claimed climate change benefits.
From another perspective, a shift toward biomass energy heralds the final stages of industrial forest degradation, as the downward spiral of ever-shorter harvest rotations ultimately turns on trees too small for making lumber.
This round of Conversations On The Forest will survey facts and fictions regarding forest biomass burning, seeking to illuminate what may be an industrial opportunity, and what's in the broader public interest.
7:00-8:30pm on Monday, July 8, 2013
at Cozmic, 199 W. 8th Ave. in Eugene
Contact: Rob Handy rob@robhandy.com
More information: http://www.conversationsontheforest.org
Audio recording of this session is here.
Conversations on the Forest - May 2013 - 2013.0513
Conversations on the Forest - No. 8
May 13, 2013
Oregon Forests, Oregon Economies
What is the problem that we want BLM timber harvests to solve?
Senator Wyden, Governor Kitzhaber, and Congressmen DeFazio, Walden, and Schrader have all said recently that cutting more timber on Federal lands in western Oregon is a significant priority. Some of these leaders have also said that maintaining key environmental protections is also a priority - and some haven't.
This round of Conversations On The Forest will survey the current push to change BLM forest management in Oregon. We'll look at what problem or problems we're trying to solve through changes in forest management. And we'll present some of our ideas for effectively addressing the real challenges that face rural Oregon communities today.
Note our new location in Cottage Grove this month!
7:00-8:30pm on Monday, May 13, 2013
at Axe & Fiddle, 657 East Main Street, Cottage Grove
Contact: Rob Handy rob@robhandy.com
More information: http://www.conversationsontheforest.org
Audio recording of this session is here.
Handout for this session is here.
Radio preview, Roy and Kevin on the Jefferson Exchange Monday morning, is here (starting at about 30:43):
Facebook Event Page for Optional RSVPs
Conversations on the Forest - November 2012 - 2012.1105
Conversations on the Forest - No. 7
November 5, 2012
Governor Kitzhaber's O&C Forest Panel
"What's the Deal with Governor Kitzhaber's Timber Panel?"
Oregon Governor Kitzhaber has appointed a 14-person advisory panel in response to the DeFazio/Walden/Schrader proposed O&C lands privatization legislation. The stated goal for the new panel is to craft a plan by early 2013 to provide bigger county payments by increasing logging on public lands.
Who is on the Governor's new timber panel, who isn't, and what is the balance of interests? How has the timber issue been framed, and how could it be framed more appropriately? What are the likely economic and environmental impacts of increased logging on rural communities in Western Oregon? How do the seven principles suggested to the panel by Senator Wyden fit into the picture?
How does all this contribute to finding deep solutions for decades of forest distress?
Conversations is pleased to welcome guest presenter Doug Heiken of Oregon Wild, joining us for this episode.
Handout listing members of the Governor's timber panel (PDF)
First Mondays, 6:00-7:30pm
at Cozmic, 199 W. 8th Ave. in Eugene
Contact: Rob Handy rob@robhandy.com
More information: http://www.conversationsontheforest.org
Conversations on the Forest - October 2012 - 2012.1001
Conversations on the Forest - No. 6
October 1, 2012
Oregon Forest Practices Act
"Is the Forest Practices Act Working?"
What level of environmental safeguards is provided by the Oregon Forest Practices Act, that sets the rules for Oregon's vast private timberlands? How does it compare to the Washington and California counterparts?
October's Conversation will contrast Oregon's archaic Forest Practices Act, relatively unchanged since created in 1971, with more progressive forest practice rules adopted in other Pacific states.
We will review real-world outcomes under the current act, and explore possible reforms that could provide more protection for the people of Oregon and their forest resources. Can the Forest Practices Act protect the public along with their water and wildlife, entwined within the private forests, and still provide for viable timber production?
We'll also announce our October forest field trip.
Handout comparing Oregon & California Forest Practices Act
First Mondays, 6:00-7:30pm
at Cozmic, 199 W. 8th Ave. in Eugene
Contact: Rob Handy rob@robhandy.com
More information: http://www.conversationsontheforest.org
Forest Metrics Workshop in Cottage Grove - 2012.0930
Summary of field trip in ten twitter pics
Sunday, September 30th 10:00am to 4:00pm
(If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Samantha Chirillo at samantha@forestryrestoration.org)
In our Long Tom checkerboard forest tour, we reviewed and briefly discussed a variety of timber thinnings. In this tour, we'll look into the Gowdyville Thinning (completed 15 years ago), just 3 miles southeast of Cottage Grove. We'll discuss how well the stands have recovered and developed after thinning. We'll measure some common forest metrics such as tree age and height, along with stand density in square feet of basal area per acre.
If time permits, we'll also introduce the standard land survey concept of township, range and section, along with a handout and quick overview of map and compass use. If you can't find it, you can't measure it!
This workshop, from 10am til roughly 3 or 4pm, will involve some walking in the woods. There may be logging slash, poison oak, even hornets if the weather is still dry. Bring water and lunch. Wear boots or sturdy shoes, along with long pants and a light-colored shirt. If the weather and woods are still bone dry (extreme fire risk), then each car should have a fire extinguisher and shovel.
Note: You'll get more out of this workshop with some reading and preparation! Before the workshop, please contact Samantha at samantha@forestryrestoration.org for maps, site index and yield charts, and other information pertaining to the training session.
Directions:
Those in Cottage Grove should meet us at the Gowdyville Thinning, intersection of Gowdyville Rd with BLM spur 20-4-35. There is a yellow iron gate on the south side of the road near the top of the hill.
Those of us from the north, east, west or core of Eugene will meet at about 9AM at the northeast parking lot of Lane Community College at 30th and Eldon Schafer Rd (take the 30th Ave exit off I-5), then carpool to the thinning.
July 2012 Comment Period on Scoping for BLM Western Oregon Forests RMP
Some notes to help people interested in commenting on scoping for the BLM Western Oregon Forests Resource Management Plan (RMP) are posted online here:
http://www.designcommunity.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=37342
And also here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Conversations-on-the-Forest/483706324978711
By 5pm Pacific time on Thursday, July 5, 2012, send your comments by email to:
BLM_OR_RMPs_WesternOregon@blm.gov
Or submit using this online form:
http://www.blm.gov/or/plans/rmpswesternoregon/comments.php
Series Announcement
Conversations on the Forest
A series of fireside chats delving deeply into facts and futures of the forests of Lane County and the Pacific Northwest.
The forest is central to our regional identity, ecology, and economy. Competing public and private interests have driven growth, decline, and political division for decades. In a series of five discussions, Lane County Commissioner Rob Handy, public interest forester Roy Keene, and ArchitectureWeek editor-in-chief Kevin Matthews will explore the past, present, and future of our forests with a depth and openness rarely seen.
Who owns Lane County’s forests, and how have they changed over time? How does forest management, on both public and private land, benefit and impact Lane County residents? Can we sustain the forest, and all its many benefits?
- First Mondays
- 6:00-7:30pm
- February 6, March 5, April 2, May 7, June 4
- Cozmic, 199 W. 8th Ave. in Eugene
More information: http://www.conversationsontheforest.org
Contact: Rob Handy rob@robhandy.com
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Conversations-on-the-Forest/483706324978711
Series Flyer
Help spread the word about these public discussions by printing this flyer on recycled paper and posting it appropriately!
Flyer for the Conversations on the Forest series (PDF)
Special Thanks
- Special thanks to Samantha Chirillo for research and logistical support for these conversations.
- Special thanks to Cozmic for hosting this event series.
- Special thanks for event recording and broadcasts aired on Community Television of Lane County
Initial Program Topics
Please Note: This program is continuously under construction, as a collective evolutionary project.
Forest Facts
Conversations on the Forest - No. 1
Audio recording of the first session is at this link...
Handout for the first session is at this link:
- What were the forests of Lane County at key times in the past?
- What are they today?
- History of harvests, public and private. (map, acreages over time)
- Pattern of ownership, public and private. (map, current acreages)
Forest Economics
Conversations on the Forest - No. 2
Audio recording of the second session is at this link...
Handout for the second session is at this link:
- Trees, Trucks, and Taxes - Where does the money come from, and where does it go?
- How much timber is being exported, and what are the economic implications?
- How much public money is currently being spent in the forests? On what?
- Forest management practices and economic implications
Public Goods and Ecology
Conversations on the Forest - No. 3
Audio recording of the third session is at this link...
Handout for the third session is at this link:
- Public goods in public and private forests
- Water quality, erosion prevention
- Carbon flows
- Biodiversity
- Oregon Forest Practices Act
- Forest certification systems
Rural Communities
Conversations on the Forest - No. 4
Audio recording of the fourth session is at this link:
Our primary handout for the fourth session is the BLM press release on scoping meetings for the new western Oregon forest planning process:
For graphics shown during the conversation, please see the session maps and session references.
- Rural communities
- Jobs, mechanization, and ratios
- Timber and non-timber economies
- Growth, decline, or... prosperity?
Forest Futures
Conversations on the Forest - No. 5
Audio recording of the fifth session is at this link...
Handout for the fifth session is at this link:
- Are win-win-win solutions possible?
- What would they look like?
- A plan for the forests, rural communities, and the future
- Next steps for the forests
- Next steps for rural communities
Program Materials
See the five session handouts, linked in the section above.
Discussion Area
The Neighbors and Nature Forum at DesignCommunity is open and welcoming for discussion related to these Conversations.
Simple registration is required for posting comments and documents. Posting approval is immediate when done using a Facebook account as validation, but Facebook is not required.
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Conversations-on-the-Forest/483706324978711
What is Sustainable Forestry?
Primary References
Maps
- Lane County Atlas Home Page
- Lane County Atlas - Land Ownership
- Map of harvest history/forest age class
- NOAA River Gauges and Basins
- US Forest Service - Willamette National Forest
- US Bureau of Land Management - Eugene District
- Wilderness Society
Composite Maps of the Walden/Defazio O&C Forest Privatization Proposal
To view these maps, click on the link to load a map in your browser, then zoom in and scroll around to see detail.
- BLM Forest Areas w/o Critical Habitat - small
- BLM Forest Areas w/o Critical Habitat - medium
- BLM Forest Areas w/o Critical Habitat - large
- BLM Forest Areas with Critical Habitat - small
- BLM Forest Areas with Critical Habitat - medium
- BLM Forest Areas with Critical Habitat - large
Charts
Information
O&C Act of 1937
- O&C Act of 1937
- "...Such portions of the revested Oregon and California Railroad and reconveyed Coos Bay Wagon Road grant lands as are or may hereafter come under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior, which have heretofore or may hereafter be classified as timberlands, and power-site lands valuable for timber, shall be managed (...) for permanent forest production, and the timber thereon shall be sold, cut, and removed in conformity with the principal of sustained yield for the purpose of providing a permanent source of timber supply, protecting watersheds, regulating stream flow, and contributing to the economic stability of local communities and industries, and providing recreational facilities..."
Topical Opinion Pieces
- "O&C act fails to guard public interest in forests," by Roy Keene, Eugene Register-Guard, 2012.0604.
- "Clear-cutting public lands not the answer", by Shawn Donnille and Julie Bailey, Eugene Register-Guard, 2012.0130.
- "Forest Service learns, adapts timber practices," by Meg Mitchell, Willamette National Forest Supervisor, Eugene Register-Guard, 2012.0122.
- "The timber racket," by Jeffery Kent, Eugene Register-Guard, 2012.0101.
- "Managing Lane Forests," Roy Keene (video), 2011.1103
- "Timber payments: County can’t cut its way to prosperity," by Pete Sorenson, Eugene Register-Guard, 2011.1011.
- "Forest ‘fix’ rests with corporate owners, not the BLM," by Roy Keene, Eugene Register-Guard, 2011.1010.
- "Want to create timber jobs? Stop the export of raw logs," by Roy Keene, Eugene Register-Guard, 2011.0608.
- "‘Herbicides,’ ‘pesticides’ convenient covers for ‘poison’," by Roy Keene, Eugene Register-Guard, 2011.0118.
- "Wyden’s act fills pockets, not forests," by Roy Keene, Eugene Register-Guard, 2010.0617.
Topical Reporting
- State Accused of Violating Endangered Species Act - KEZI news spot on federal lawsuit on Oregon state forest logging, filed by Cascadia Wildlands, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Audubon Society of Portland. Transcript and video, 2012.0531.
- Clearcut Chemicals - Excellent Living on Earth segment by Ingrid Lobet, on some of the impacts to rural residents from the use of pesticides by timber companies, 2012.0504. Transcript and sound file.
- "Kitzhaber Asked to Reject Attempts to Privatize Public Lands for Public Schools," Salem-News.com, 2012.0213.
- "2010 Carbon Dioxide Output Shows Biggest Jump Ever," by Justin Gillis, New York Times, 2011.1204.
- "The hotspot for West Coast timber: China," by Cassandra Profita, OPB Ecotrope, 2011.0901.
- "Large-scale logging won't control wildfires," Roy Keene and Tim Hermach , The Aspen Times, 2011.0626.
- "North American Wood," by Brian Libby, ArchitectureWeek No. 466, 2010.0310.
- "Maya Lin - Unchopping a Tree," by Kevin Matthews, ArchitectureWeek No. 456, 2009.1216.
- "High Tension over Big Timber," by Christine MacDonald, ArchitectureWeek No. 449, 2009.1021.
- "FSC Versus SFI," by Christine MacDonald, ArchitectureWeek No. 439, 2009.0812.
- "Solid Green Practice," by Brian Libby, ArchitectureWeek No. 426, 2009.0506.
- "Green or Greenwashed?" Christine MacDonald, ArchitectureWeek No. 424, 2009.0422
- "Climate Action Now," by Kevin Matthews, ArchitectureWeek No. 378, 2008.0430.
- "House Recycling," by Bob Falk and Brad Guy, ArchitectureWeek No. 336, 2007.0530.
- "Restoring the Giant Forest," by Kim A. O'Connell, ArchitectureWeek No. 104, 2002.0626.
- "Rewards of Unbuilding," by Michael Cockram, ArchitectureWeek No. 100, 2002.0529.
- "New Directions in Wood," by Naomi Stungo, ArchitectureWeek No. 79, 2001.1219.
Research Reporting
- Historical Look at Oregon’s Wood Products Industry - by the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis. Note graph of county payments on p6.
- "Mammoth Trees, Champs of the Ecosystem," New York Times, 2012.0505. "Big trees (those with a diameter greater than three feet at chest height) account for only 1 percent of trees but store half of the area’s biomass."
- "Community of Trees - How Trees Communicate with One Another," video of work by UBC professor Suzanne Simard posted at Eco Preservation Society
- "Forest biofuel may actually increase carbon dioxide emissions, West Coast study suggests," by Robin Rowland, Northwest Coast Energy News, 2011.1023.
- Study: Saving owls and salmon also stores carbon," Associated Press at The Seattle Times, 2011.0726.
- "A synthesis of current knowledge on forests and carbon storage in the United States," by Duncan C. McKinley et al., Ecological Applications, 21(6), 2011, pp. 1902–1924. (comprehensive for concepts but includes some obsolete conventional wisdom, potentially contradicted by better and more recent research)
- "Public and Private Forest Ownership in the Context of Carbon Sequestration and Bioenergy Feedstock Production—a Briefing Paper on Existing Research and Research Needs," by Eric M. White and Ralph J. Alig, March, 2010.
- "Wood Products and Carbon Storage: Can Increased Production Help Solve the Climate Crisis?," by Ann Ingerson, The Wilderness Society, April, 2009.
Primary Research
- "Regional carbon dioxide implications of forest bioenergy production," Tara W. Hudiburg, Beverly E. Law, Christian Wirth & Sebastiaan Luyssaert, Nature Climate Change 1, 419–423 (2011), published online 23 October 2011. (subscription required). "Here, we use forest inventory data to show that fire prevention measures and large-scale bioenergy harvest in US West Coast forests lead to 2–14% (46–405 Tg C) higher emissions compared with current management practices over the next 20 years. We studied 80 forest types in 19 ecoregions, and found that the current carbon sink in 16 of these ecoregions is sufficiently strong that it cannot be matched or exceeded through substitution of fossil fuels by forest bioenergy."
- "Carbon dynamics of Oregon and Northern California forests and potential land-based carbon storage," by Tara W. Hudiburg, Beverly E. Law, et al., Ecological Applications, 19(1), 2009, pp. 163–180.
