Guest Blogger: Chandra LeGue
Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative Participation
I’ve participated with the SWFC from near the beginning! I’ve at least been on the e-mail list since late 2014 and was involved with the Implementation Advisory Committee since 2015. gradually expanding to be a part of the Rigdon Collaboration Committee when it began in 2016.
Photo from Rigdon Field Tour
Envisioning a Healthy Rigdon Landscape
The Rigdon landscape encompasses four Middle Fork Willamette sub-watersheds south of Oakridge, Oregon. Click the map to enlarge.
I personally love seeing forests in the Rigdon area with a mix of species like incense cedar, chinquapin, madrone, Ponderosa pine, yew, and Douglas-fir - areas that were often more open in the past, and had pretty frequent fires.
There’s no doubt that human management (fire suppression, logging) has changed these forests over the past century. To me, it is important to recognize our role in creating these changes and consider the importance of these mixed conifer forests and in the future landscape and the fire that help them thrive, but it’s also important to consider the importance of the habitat and forests that have developed over time. The denser 100-year old forests that have grown in many places (or that were always more dense and moist) are also really important for native species like red tree voles and northern spotted owls - especially when you consider the heavily logged and fragmented landscape these older forest pockets are scattered among.
Balancing the needs of these species and importance of this type of habitat with the more historic, more open mixed conifer forests and the ecosystem components that come with those is difficult. And while restoration activities can play a role in finding that balance, we also need to consider how we can let some of the forests develop on their own without more “management”, or how to allow natural processes like fire to play the role they are meant to. A healthy landscape has all the ecosystem pieces it needs for adapting to change, and can function as more of a connected ecosystem that supports native species of all kinds and can adapt to climate change and natural disturbances better. I’m excited to see more floodplain restoration within the landscape and using fire (prescribed and allowing more naturally-caused fire) as a tool for restoration.
A healthy landscape has all the ecosystem pieces it needs for adapting to change, and can function as more of a connected ecosystem that supports native species of all kinds and can adapt to climate change and natural disturbances better.
Visiting the Rigdon Landscape
I’ve visited the upper Middle Fork for a long time - hiking and camping, etc. - though often higher up in the watershed than the mixed conifer area of Rigdon. In my work with Oregon Wild, I’ve toured Forest Service projects (including the Tumblebug Fire area right after it burned) and led hikes and trips. I’ve also been on the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council for several years so have supported and toured projects like Staley Creek and Coal Creek.
Favorite Memory
Staley Creek Floodplain Restoration Project
Putting on waders and climbing around in Staley Creek a year after the floodplain project was completed was wonderful. I haven’t done much walking around in rivers, and doing so gives you a really unique perspective on how the water flows, where there is good habitat for fish, and how the forest and vegetation influences the stream (and vice versa). I love opportunities to see how ecosystems work, and how restoring ecosystem processes (from active floodplains to more natural fire regimes) benefits so much more than one species.
Final Thoughts
I’m super excited that wolves are moving into the Ridgon landscape area and upper Middle Fork watershed. To me, this shows that areas where natural processes like fire are occurring (and connected across landscapes) can help the whole ecosystem (including wildlife) recover from decades of human-caused problems.
