The Clackamas County Forest and Timber Management Program detailed a
plan to harvest timber on a 117-acre tract of county land during a public
meeting on Oct. 18 at the Mt. Hood Oregon Resort.

The proposed site, named Boomer II after the native mountain beaver, is
located one mile north of Hwy. 26 in Brightwood. A public tour of the county
land was held on Oct. 20 to allow interested parties to observe the potential
harvest area.

The Oct. 18 meeting was led by Clackamas County Forester Andrew
Dobmeier. He was joined by members of the Clackamas County Forest
Advisory Board and the Parks Advisory Board in answering questions and
addressing concerns from the public regarding the proposed logging
operation.

“Our focus is on protection of our soil, protection of our waters and
maintaining a good planting site,” said Dobmeier during a conversation about
the county’s approach to the harvest.

The meeting was attended by 15 community members, many of them
Brightwood residents wary of further logging in the area after a contentious
logging operation on private property in 2017 above the Timberline Rim
neighborhood.

Local resident Bill Simonds, owner of Welches Mountain Building Supply and
the closest neighbor to the proposed county site, detailed community
complaints about the prior private logging operation but expressed optimism
regarding the county’s plan for Boomer II site adjacent his property.

“I feel 100 percent better about this operation,” said Simonds while touring
the site. “These guys care about the property and want to do it right.”

Other community members toured the county land to gain insight into the
proposed logging’s impact on the watershed, including a section of Spring
Creek in the southeastern portion of the tract.

“Our concern is sediment; What kind of erosion is being created,” said Gerald
Murphy, member of the Sandy River Watershed Council and the Clackamas
County Planning Commission. Murphy sought to conduct turbidity testing at
the creek to monitor for an increase in sediment load during the operation.
The county plan includes a 20-foot buffer established along the creek to
prevent impact.

“This is Oregon. This is what we do,” said Murphy about the timber sale. “We
just want it done right.”

Other issues raised during the tour included the visual impact of the site on
the community.

“It’s kind of a concern when you pull into Brightwood, is it going to be right
there?” asked Murphy.

The county foresters conducted line of sight measurements and described
Boomer II as only visible along Hwy. 26 for a couple of seconds in the distant
background.

The Boomer II site has been previously harvested and is currently forested
with Douglas fir, hemlock, cedar, alder, maple and cottonwood, varying in age
from 40 to 80 years due to fire and harvesting.

Net proceeds from the harvest of approximately 2,051 thousand board feet
(MBF) of timber on 75 acres of the site will fund Clackamas County park and
forest operations. The sale includes 1,500 MBF Douglas-fir, 200 MBF hemlock,
30 MBF cedar and 300 MBF hardwoods.

Dobmeier detailed the county’s plan to actively manage each portion of the
harvest and sale to get the best return for the community and avoid recent
issues with logging in Brightwood.

He stated the county intends to hire an Oregon logging company that is a
member of the Associated Oregon Loggers and follows sustainable harvesting
practice guidelines, as well as oversee the operation to assure minimal impact
on the site and BLM roads.

“If you don’t do what we want, you’re out,” Dobmeier said about the county’s
expectations for the logging companies bidding on the contract.

The county will begin bidding logging companies in November with the harvest
scheduled to begin in January 2019 and end by June 30, 2019.

The logging company is expected to follow Sustained Forest Initiative
practices and adhere to all Oregon Forest Practice Act rules. Other criteria for
obtaining the contract include price, references, equipment and a timeline that
is less disruptive to the community.

An estimated six to 12 loads of logs will be harvested on average a day,
dependent on the operator and the portion of the site being used. Access to
the site is through Mt. Hood Rock Products, and logging hours will be limited
to the quarry’s hours of operation from 6:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The county
also intends to market the timber to mills themselves to bring in more value
for the harvest.

“We want to go to market our own way,” said Dobmeier about his intention to
select certain timber for potential sale at a higher value as power poles, or in
the case of select maple with figuring, to mills interested in producing for
woodworkers.

He explained this as a different approach than a 2015 county sale to Columbia
Vista Corporation, a mill that bought timber on stump and harvested solely for
Douglas-fir while selling the other lumber as pulp. He stated the county hopes
to increase the value of the sale by bringing to market all available resources
and assuring active oversight of the environmental and community impact of
the entire process.

The county intends to replant the site with Douglas-fir, Western Red Cedar
and Western Red Pine. Western Hemlock is expected to seed naturally.
Dobmeier discussed then managing the site with pre-commercial thinning on
an established 50 to 60-year rotation as opposed to a 35 to 40-year harvest
cycle.

“We’re here for the long run. We want to do it the right way,” said Dobmeier.

For more information contact County Forester Andrew Dobmeier at
adobmeier@clackamas.us or visit www.clackamas.us/forests.