EDITOR’S NOTE: Kate J. Skinner, Tillamook District Forester, Oregon Department of Forestry notified the Pioneer today that ODF’s Astoria District has cancelled the July 2nd tour. WHEN: TUESDAY JULY 2 @ 9:00 am ODF has scheduled a “public tour” of the proposed clear-cut – CANCELLED – WHERE: HUG POINT STATE PARK PARKING LOT (between Arch Cape and Cannon Beach Highway 101)
ODF cancelled – but this statement from the “Forest Fairies” and North Coast Communities for Watershed Protection, “We are going up anyway to ‘Rally for the Trees’. Several organizations and lots of grass roots calls and caring – same time 9 am at Hug Point, tomorrow.”
Call or write ODF, Astoria Division, 503-325-5451 and speak to Ty Williams or leave a message, the address is 9219 Hwy 202, Astoria 97103 in regard to Norriston Heights Timber Sale.
Oregon Department of Forestry plans to clear-cut 77 acres of public forest containing the drinking watershed for Arcadia Sands / Picture Windows residents. This cut, called the Norriston Heights Timber Sale, abuts Highway 101 between Arcadia Beach and Hug Point State Parks adjacent to occupied Marbled Murrelet habitat and Oregon’s “largest” cedar tree. The Southern section of the sale area with a slope up to 65 degrees is prone to landslide. Several streams, including the waterfall at Hug Point, flow from the sale area.
ODF describes their method of “harvest” as “Regen”—in false/speak this means clear-cut, intended, of course, to give you the illusion that it will encourage regeneration. When, in fact, it is a method of logging that totally destroys the forest habitat and is then followed by aerial spray, which kills the natural fertility of the soil.
This process, used by the timber industry and in evidence all around in the clear-cut hills, not only destroys the complex forest ecosystem and creates a tree plantation, but also destroys habitat for birds, animals and fish, creates erosion, siltation, mudslides, and pollutes coastal drinking water sources.
Please let Oregon Department of Forestry know what you think of their proposed method of management– for our forests– in this sensitive coastal area.
