Fuel Reduction Project would improve fire resiliency
By Paul Hall on Tuesday, March 9th, 2021 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
UNION COUNTY – The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest collaborated with the Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Natural Resources Conservation Service, local conservation groups and Union County to propose a fuels-reduction project within the Five Points Subwatershed, located northwest of La Grande.
Current stand conditions within the Five Points Subwatershed are vulnerable to uncharacteristic wildfire spread – a risk to firefighter safety, critical infrastructure, private property, and public lands. The proposed action identifies strategic locations for fuels reduction, forest restoration, and fire-control lines along the La Grande Valley Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). Treatments are designed to limit wildfire spread between the Grande Ronde River corridor, La Grande WUI and Mt. Emily Inventoried Roadless Area.
The project proposes approximately 3,000 acres of combined treatments that vary based on location and vegetation. “Treatments proposed with the Five Points Project would be complementary with past and on-going work on adjacent private, County, and National Forest lands,” said La Grande District Ranger, Bill Gamble. “The project would enhance our ability to manage future planned and unplanned fires in this area.” Treatments proposed include a combination of non-commercial thinning, commercial harvest, and prescribed burning.
In addition to wildfire mitigation, the Five Points Project would improve forest conditions and enhance resiliency to other disturbances, such as insects and diseases. The project would provide long-term recreational and personal-use opportunities for the local and visiting public, improved habitat for many wildlife species, and an outdoor “classroom” for community members to learn about forest restoration activities in La Grande’s backyard.
Over the next 3-5 years, the project would deliver economic benefits by supporting forestry work through contracts to thin small-diameter trees and treat fuels, while also supporting the local timber industry through restoration thinning and commercial timber sale activities.
Please visit the Five Points Fuels Reduction Project Story Map* for an interactive visual presentation of the proposal. For more details and documents, visit the project web page. For consideration in the project design, scoping comments must be submitted by March 17, 2021 to the District Ranger via email (comments-pacificnorthwest-wallowa-whitman lagrande@usda.gov).
