JULY 2012 SW OREGON WOODLAND E-NEWS

Welcome to the July 2012 E-Newsletter of SW Oregon Woodland News.  Produced by OSU Extension Service, Jackson/Josephine Counties. Click on the titles below to be linked to articles and more information. 

Land Stewards Program Now Accepting Applications

Starting in September, the 10-week Land Steward training will help local small-acreage landowners learn ways to create a healthy environment on their property through field visits, connections with natural resource professionals, and creating a personalized action plan for their land.  Learn more…FLYER

K-12 Students Get Hands Dirty, Feet Wet with OSU Extension’s StreamWise Program

True or false, water flowing down your local storm drain goes to the water treatment plant before entering the river?  If you’re not sure, you might benefit from OSU’s StreamWise program, which reached more than 17 schools and 1,600 students last year with hands-on lessons about water quality, fire, and stream health. 

Technical & Financial Assistance Available to Landowners

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Jackson County has technical and financial assistance available for landowners on private non-industrial forestlands… (more) 

Thin for Quality and Health, not Spacing

Your chainsaw is revved up and you’re about to sink the bar into a nearby Douglas-fir sapling.  But which one…?  This article provides an alternative to spacing-based guidelines traditionally used in thinning. 

New Extension Publication Showcases Fire-resistant Privacy Screen Plants

A brand-new OSU Extension publication features examples of fire-resistant shrubs and trees that can be used to create a more fire-safe home landscape while providing the privacy you desire.  More…

New Study Shows that Fuel Reduction Treatments Pose Little Risk to Forest Ecology

A recent paper co-authored by USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station researcher Dr. Chris Fettig & other scientists from the U.S. & Australia shows that fuels treatments can be implemented with few unintended consequences.  Read more…

The Chain Saw Circle: Women of the Woodlands (NY Times)

Oregon timber harvest jumps 13 percent, but still way below historic levels  (OR Live)

Supreme Court To Decide If Logging Road Runoff Is Pollution (SOPTV)

Environmental Groups Say It Will Take 20 Years To Thin Northwest Forests (SOPTV)

Forest Capital Partners Sells Its Timber Portfolio (Bloomberg)

The Importance of Burls and 4 Other Surprises from The Biscuit Fire (SOPTV)

Poll Finds Water Quality NW Residents Top Concern (SOPTV)