Logging’s role in dealing with bark beetle infestations was one of the issues discussed during an annual meeting between representatives from the timber industry and the U.S. Forest Service Thursday.
Loggers are concerned that the beetles will devastate timber stands in the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest that could otherwise be harvested for lumber. They also would like the forest service to allow them to log dead or dying trees in areas where they already have contracts.
They said their livelihood and the future of their industry is at stake.
“We’re there. The timber’s dying. We should be growing new trees right now,” said Bill Petersmann, a forester with Bighorn Logging.
Logging is a tool the forest service can use to fight beetle infestations, Petersmann said. In particular, clearcut logging of lodgepole pine should be practiced to halt the spread of the beetle and promote the growth of new timber, he said.
Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest supervisor Mary Peterson noted that timber left unlogged could still be beneficial even if it’s killed by beetles. The dead wood can help regenerate the soil and provide habitat for animals, she said.
Brush Creek-Hayden district ranger Scott Armentrout suggested that the timber industry better express its concerns during the environmental assessment process of proposed timber sales. Environmentalists and off-road enthusiasts are usually the only people who comment on the proposals, he said.
Another concern addressed at Thursday’s meeting was the use of so-called “stewardship contracts.” These are contracts that include an element of service work — such as thinning trees around residential areas, rebuilding roads, restoring watersheds and protecting areas from disease and insects — as well as timber removal.
By completing the service work, the logging contractor earns credits toward the purchase of timber. Stewardship contracts are a method for the forest service to complete such projects without needing extra funding.
LOGGERS from page 1 -- In particular, the Forest Service was looking for comments on the Strain Creek stewardship proposal, which is for an area near Lake Owen and Albany.
The loggers said they would be happy to bid on stewardship contracts if the contracts are economically feasible. If the manpower and machinery needed for the service project would cut into basic timber operations, they would be less likely to bid.
Another concern of the forest service is logging near riparian areas. Forest Service scientists are concerned that logging equipment damages streams and marshes, said Jim Myers, acting director of renewable resources.
The loggers said that they could remedy the situation by logging riparian areas with chainsaws or by using their machinery when the ground is frozen and won’t be harmed.
Another concern was about slash — the branches and other woody debris left over after an area is logged.
Forest Service scientists are concerned that the debris is sometimes piled too high in concentrated area so that it prevents the vegetation underneath from growing, Myers said.
Spreading out the slash would promote healthier timber regeneration, soil and wildlife habitat, Myers said.
The loggers said that spreading out the slash is not economically feasible with the machinery they use. Furthermore, they argued that even though vegetation beneath the slash piles may not grow immediately, after several years it is quite prolific.
