Cutting down some trees to protect others at Mount Pisgah
PLEASANT HILL, Ore. - Crews are logging in Lane County's largest park, cutting down some trees to protect others.
Lane County Parks and the Friends of Buford Park/Mount Pisgah are restoring rare native oak savanna and prairie habitat in the Howard Buford Recreation Area, which includes Mount Pisgah.
Most of the historic native oak prairie and savanna habitats have disappeared from the Willamette Valley. Barely 2 percent remain.
Workers are cutting and removing Douglas-fir, ash, maple and other trees that are interfering with the oaks.
Removal of those species (along with Scotchbroom and other unwanted bushes) will restore open savanna habitat, benefit plant and animal species and free up large "legacy" oaks that would otherwise die from the shade of the conifers.
The project is paid for by state and federal grants, including some Oregon Lottery funds.
Tom Adams from KVAL News visited the project site on Monday for a story set to air on KVAL News and KVAL.com.
Very sensible thing to do. Might even save the park.
local natives used to burn off brush and small trees to enhance larger white oak trees. Â This project will involve some burning later this fall.
Selective logging works. Letting wild growth take its course doesn't. The latter concept in the last century, including the insane idea not to fight "natural" lightning-caused fires, almost made wood a non-renewable resource.
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Good for our Oregon loggers.
Removing that underbrush will also significantly lower the chance of forest fire in that area.  +1 for Lane County Parks.