Upper
The Roads are punched in, trees cut for landings, but logging of the units had not yet begun as of (12/17/04), but appears to have started now. The Upper Timber Sale was auctioned on March 7,2003. The high bidder was Rosboro Lumber for $600,758.50 or 90 ccf weighted average per ccf. This sale has major riparian issues - with only 30 ft buffers recomended on the abundant streams in the unit. One of the proposed temporary roads crosses a streambed. This sale contains beautiful native forest surrounded on several sides by the old Boyer Creek thin - a hideous example of what the whole area will look like if the Upper sale proceeds as planned.
General Info
- District: Clackamas
- Total Acres: 183
- Watershed: North Fork Clackamas
- Sub-Watersheds: Upper North Fork
- Basic Location: Up 4610, about halfway between Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness and the western forest boundary
- Driving Directions: Up 4610, about halfway between Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness and the western forest boundary
- Legal Description: T4S R6E sections 16, 17 and 20
- Northwest Forest Plan Classification: MatrixRiparian
- Total MMBF: 3
- Total CCF: 7050
Timber Sales
- Upper (183 Acres, 3 MMBF, 7050 CCF)
Sold on Mar-07-2003 to Rosboro Lumber
Status: Logging
Prescriptions
- Total Commercial Thin Acres: 194
- Total Riparian Acres: 35
- "Purpose & Need:" According to the Forest Service, the Matrix land in this area is overstocked ' and "lacks diversity. ' Yet most of the areas we walked through looked healthy with a wide diversity of species, ground cover, and several layers of canopy. We could see light clearly reaching the forest floor. Lichens and mushrooms were everywhere. In the Riparian areas, the Forest Service believes it is necessary to thin within 30 feet of streams to 'improve riparian conditions by accelerating development of matuer forest characteristics including larger trees that would provide future large woody debris recruitment and snag habitat. ''
- Bark's Comments: While only 30 foot buffers would be placed on non-fish bearing streams, seeps, springs or wet areas great than 1 acre, cutting may begin on seeps, springs and wet areas less than 1 acre at the very edge of riparian vegetation (devils club, salmonberry, skunk cabbage etc). The no cut buffer would only include the first row of coniferious trees. One wonders what exactly their definition of mature forest " characteristics is. Does it depend only on tree size or are healthy soil and species diversity included in the desired mix? There is fertilization of all the matrix lands - which is very worrisome as some of the land is on very steep slopes above the riparian areas. This seems a situation likely to contaminate riparian reserves with both fertilizer and erosion."
Roads
- Road Comments: 600 ' to access Unit 3. 400 feet of Level One secified road to access Units 1 and 2. 500 feet of permanent road and 2300 feet of temporary road to access Units 5,6, and 7. 25 feet of road will be in the Riparian Reserve of Unit 5. Reconstruct Outside fillslope on Forest Roads 4610 and 4610150 Spot rock portions of Forest Roads 4610130, 4610150 and 4610151 to reduce sedimentation.
- New Road miles: 0.75
- Temporary Miles: 0.1
Habitat & Species
- T&E Species: NSO 1998 Bi-OpRed Legged FrongLower Columbia SteelheadLower Columbia Coho
- Other Species: Lower Columbia Spring ChinookLower Columbia River Cutthroat Trouth
Restrictions
- 10/1 - 6/30 : No operation of ground-based yarding equipment. Restricted Units: all ground-based yarding units
- 10/1 - 5/31 : no landing construction, road construction or reconstruction or skyline yarding. Restricted Units: riparian reserves
Updated 5/7/09
