Humility

'Fragmented' by Joanne Daschel

Our job is to collaborate with nature. Most fundamentally, it has to do with humility. 

- Dr. Jerry Franklin

There's a place near my home that I visit fairly often, a short hiking trail through city-owned land that is forested with a mix of hemlock, spruce and cedar. The ground is carpeted with ferns, huckleberries and other native plants. At the top of the trail, you can scramble up to a ridge that overlooks the neighboring land, a clear cut. This view sparked an image that questions how we manage forested land in Oregon. 

There are many types of "forest" in my home state of Oregon. Most residents only encounter 2nd- or even 3rd-growth forest, meaning the original stand of trees was cut down and replanted or regrown, so it's probably less than 75 years old. Most of the Coast Range's historic forested land fits this definition, with almost all of it having been previously harvested in the early 20th century.

But there are a few remaining parcels of "old growth" forest, including Valley of the Giants, where you can still see huge Douglas firs that were spared the chainsaw (I'm lucky enough to have walked among them). Fights have raged in Oregon for decades over what's left of ancient woods, with some mutual agreements reached between opposing groups, like the Northwest Forest Plan in 1994. These kind of agreements are now threatened with purely political moves to undo them. Wilderness areas previously set aside for wildlife habitat are seen as potential sources of short-term gain by our current administration.

Animals like the Northern spotted owl depend on food and shelter only found in large tracts of continuous, ancient forest. What remains of these places is increasingly fragmented by clear cut areas, leaving the animals to try and find ways to bridge the gaps for survival, much like polar bears left adrift as ancient ice breaks apart.

Forestry issues are complex and answers aren't easily found. But when we make forest policy that creates long-lasting changes to large swaths of land, the unseen forest residents are impacted. Over the many years I've lived and recreated on forested Oregon land, the arguments have centered around people - impacts to jobs, money for schools, wildfire risk. Perhaps it's time we place the needs of forest dwellers who have no voice or vote at the center of these decisions, and seek balance that benefits us all.

‘Fragmented’

14”w x 21”h

Mexican smalti and stained glass mosaic

photo reference for the owl, courtesy of Frank D. Lospalluto

Note: To learn about Pacific Northwest forest policy, I recommend the work of Dr. Jerry Franklin and Dr. K. Norman Johnson: here's a glimpse. I was very fortunate to have met Dr. Franklin while he was in residence at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology and have conversations with him about Oregon forests as he worked on a memoir. Dr. Johnson is a research and writing partner with Dr. Franklin, and taught at Oregon State University for many years in the College of Forestry. If you want a deep dive into their work, this is an excellent textbook.