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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011.11.08 Forest Lands Commission Minutes Minutes FOR A MEETING OF THE ASHLAND FOREST LANDS COMMISSION Tuesday, November 8th, 2011 5:30PM to 7:30PM Siskiyou Room, CommunityDevelopment=Building 51 Winburn Way I. CALL TO ORDER: 5:32 PM Jim Berge, Gary Pool, Dan Maymar, Albert Pepe, Stefani Seffinger, Chris Chambers, John Karns, Rob Cain (AWTA), David Chapman (Council liaison for Greg Lemhouse), Marty Main. II. INTRODUCTIONS New Commissioner Jim Berge Jim introduced himself and spoke about some of his experience in forestry. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: October 11 th meeting Pool motioned to accept minutes as submitted, Seffinger seconded. All ayes. IV. PUBLIC FORUM None. V. ADJUSTMENTS TO THE AGENDA Chambers suggested moving the trails item to the top of Business. Maymar agreed. VI. BUSINESS A. Trails/Recreation Policy Subcommittee: Application from AWTA Karns spoke quickly about the background of the City's trails effort. Karns created an application process for sanctioning and/or making a new trail on City forestlands. The Ashland Woodland and Trails Association had asked for a BTI alternative trail to reduce user conflicts on BTI and another group had talked about a "skills park" on city lands. The skills park idea has apparently been dropped, but the AWTA proposal is live. AWTA used the new application process and submitted their plan for the BTI trail alternate route for pedestrians. Cain talked about the effort to separate trail traffic and install signage, both on City and Forest Service land. Cain pointed out on the map where the new trail is proposed. The proposed trail is flagged on the ground with orange flags. Pepe asked where the trail is. Cain explained that it starts near the old quarry off Glenview Dr and goes up the hill from there. Seffinger asked that the AWTA consider people with disabilities and the older generation. Cain said that trails can be built with a 10% grade and the AWTA has been in trainings recently on trail construction. All other trails have grades over 20%. Maymar suggested benches along the way. Seffinger thought that rails might help older people on steeper sections. Karns offered to schedule the commission for a trail tour in the near future. There is poison oak in this area of the trails. GAfireTorest Interface DivisionTorest Lands Commission\MINUTES\2011\November 8th,2011 minutes.docx B. Watershed Map Distribution Chambers explained the watershed map effort for Berge. Group then covered the list from Iverson and Chambers will email Iverson about the bike shops and include Pepe and will check in with Parks as well. Seffinger covered the library. Chapman said Bloomsbury Books might be a good spot and Seffinger suggested SOU outdoor program as another outlet. C. Outreach Plan Review and Discussion The larger discussion about the outreach plan was tabled but Chambers talked about an upcoming meeting with local conservation groups about watershed education and the AFR project. The AFR project has been trying to implement a vision of using the watershed as a key element of their science curriculum. There are many functioning examples of this vision already including Lomakatsi, Ashland Parks, and Klamath Bird Observatory. None of these efforts would survive without external funding and they tend to be transitory in nature. Since the FLC has had the same vision in the past, it makes sense to have a unified effort moving forward. A similar program was developed for Crater Lake that even Ashland Schools use in their classes. SOU has helped develop that program and might be a way for SOU to help with this watershed education effort. Chambers would like to see at least one rep from the FLC come to this meeting, without having a quorum of commissioners. The date is the 14th of November at 4pm. D. AFR Project Update including Community Engagement Chambers answered a question about recent smoke in the valley around Ashland. There had been burning just over the Siskiyous in California which bled smoke over into the Ashland area. It's been too dry for burning on the AFR project to date. Chambers is getting ready to make burn notifications once the burn season is in full swing. The interpretive sign effort is well underway to develop and update the existing signs. The White Rabbit sign will be made of wood cut from City lands in the same area. The wood is from dead trees. Chambers hopes to have signs out by spring. There is a separate effort to talk about trail signs that show the names, etc. An AFR update for fall will be sent out soon via the AFR project email list and webpage. Main said that Lomakatsi has been working on thinning at high elevations in Block 2 but has been delayed by the recent low snow level. The AFR partner group has been reviewing this summer's work. E. Ashland Water Advisory Committee Update Williams wasn't present so this issue was tabled. F. Commission 3-Year Goals progress Maymar wants to get the Ashland Forest Plan updated from 1992 as part of the 3 year goals and to use the AFR project model. Chambers asked Main for input on this and Main commented on the ease of the City's management direction compared to what is required on federal lands (AFR). The commission should start thinking about next year's AFR thinning project and whether or not to dovetail with that helicopter project on the City's Winburn property. Main said the City could wait or if there are funds available we G:\fire\Forest Interface Division\Forest Lands Commission\MINUTES\2011\November 8th,2011 minutes.docx could move ahead. Chambers updated the commission on a Nature Conservancy grant opportunity to get work done on City forestlands. Maymar would like us to be in concert with the adjacent owner (USFS). Main commented that the current management direction has been set for the Winburn property in the current plan. There are opportunities for working with the USFS on issue related to spotted owl habitat, fire management, etc. It would be good to bring it up to the current level of knowledge and conditions. Maymar asked about matching up management schemes, and Main said there is an opportunity to look at the past Forest Plan and see how it can be updated. The City got started early on in the process of managing for fire safety and multiple resource objectives. Essentially, the management schemes are the same between the City and Forest Service. Tony Kerwin started a process to update the Forest Plan, but left the Commission before it really got started. Main suggested looking at what's been accomplished on City forestlands, and it's an extensive list and in some ways more than what's in the Forest Plan itself. Maymar asked if we should look that the document and what the costs would be to review it. Chambers suggested that the City has a great example of proactive stewardship, but that information is not accessible to the public or forestry community. Main gave the example of the City's monitoring data and the intensity of plots that have been established as a resource for the community. Main suggested we get a copy of the Ashland Forest Plan to the commission. With the potential for major projects (Winburn and prescribed underburns) there is a need to link those activities back to the Forest Plan. Karns would like to use the Plan as a tool for budgeting work on City lands, especially with upcoming changes in the budget process. Main said the City has traditionally invested in the more expensive work to get ahead on fire and forest health issues and is now in a mode of maintenance on portions of the City's ownership. There may be areas we come back to that we didn't work on initially. Pepe asked about underburning this spring. Chambers said that there will be a contract established this winter in hopes of burning up to 100 acres this spring and possibly with grant assistance from The Nature Conservancy. Chapman suggested keeping the 1992 plan as a historical document. The commission asked Main if he would look at the 1992 plan and make suggestions for changing and updating, or rewriting it. Main cited example of recent knowledge that has changed the way we look at City forestlands. Maymar made a motion that Main look through the 1992 Ashland Forest Plan and report back to the Commission regarding proposed changes and an accounting of work since 1992. Seffinger seconded and all voted in favor. Main has a list of accomplishments on City land that he can bring in. It would help to update current commissioners about what the City has done. Chambers will bring notes from past meeting regarding the 3 year goals to the next meeting. VII. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS VIII. REVIEW AND SET COMMISSION CALENDAR/NEXT MEETING G:\fire\Forest Interface Division\Forest Lands Commission\MINUTES\2011\November 8th,2011 minutes.docx A. Next Regularly Scheduled Meeting: December 13th, 2011 IX. ADJOURN: 7:00 PM In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, ifyou need special assistance to participate in this meeting,please contact the Public Works Office at 488-5587(TTYphone number 1 800 735 2900). Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting(28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title I). G:\fire\Forest Interface Division\Forest Lands Commission\MINUTES\2011\November 8th,2011 minutes.docx