HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017.04.11 Forest Lands Commission Minutes MINUTES FOR A MEETING OF THE
ASHLAND FOREST LANDS COMMISSION
Tuesday, April 11th, 2017
5:30PM to 7:30PM
Fire Station #2 Conference Room
1860 Ashland Street
I. CALL TO ORDER: 5:37 PM
Frank Betlejewski, Chris Chambers, Luke Brandy, Matt Miller, John
Williams,Jill Mullen-Feeley, Nathan Lewis, Marty Main,Alison Lerch
II. INTRODUCTIONS
Jim Folkerston
III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Add page numbers
Trails A 4t'' sentence, line 4: reference Ashland Boy Scout Troop #112
B burn summary: Single small i, small I, change to a,b,c,d
B ii: Add Ashland Forest Plan Maps to the report
It was done by Plant Association Group (PAG)
D: Spell Jabberwocky correctly
B ii: check on the name of the burn unit
Change Tom to Tom Murphy
Acid Castle Rocks Park
D: Trails and Rec: Mike Faught(Public Works Director)
D: Trails is Stadnisky
D is Oredson-Todd
John Williams motions to approve, Matt Miller seconds,passed.
IV. PUBLIC FORUM
V. ADJUSTMENTS TO THE AGENDA
VI. BUSINESS
A. TREX program(5 min)
i. A Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (TREX) is occurring in Ashland May
1St-May 131h. Participants are staying at the SOU dormitory and are fed at
the dining hall. 40 out-of-towners and lO local Cadre, including
participants from Ireland, Canada, and Guanajuato. The rest of the
participants are from across the United States as far as Maine. There are
also students from Oregon State University and Humboldt State. The goal
of TREX is to bring a diverse group of people together to support local
prescribed burning. Two spots are for Ashland Fire & Rescue firefighters.
Units are identified in the AFR project as well as City units. One or two
private properties (McKinley on GreenSprings and one on Emigrant Lake).
The property near Emigrant Lake is within an oak woodland area. Pile
burns are still happening today. Training days are Monday and Tuesday
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after they arrive. Burning begins on Wednesday May 3rd. This is supported
by the Nature Conservancy. The City of Ashland put in $12,000 for this
event. A new funding agreement for 2018 for$40,000 has been approved.
Citizens can come out and take a tour. There is a FEMO (Fire Effects
Monitors)portion of the TREX which is unique.
B. Trails and Recreation(18 min)
i. Brandy: Ashland Trails Master Plan. The last two meetings were canceled,
but the update is still going through the process. This will be a full update
of the plan. The goal is to be completed in 2017. Brandy will miss the
Trails Master Plan Committee meetings during the summer but Jensen will
attend.
ii. Mullen-Feeley: Two temporary signs were put up at the intersection of
Bandersnatch/Red Queen/Snark. Chris Chambers, Jeff and Torsten are
working on this issue. Jabberwocky signs should be up soon. Small burn
piles were completed at N. Mountain Park, Lithia Park and Siskiyou
Mountain Park. A few beetle killed trees were removed from Lithia Park
but that number is decreasing. Replaced crib log stair on the trail by the
Lithia Park swim reservoir. Stadnisky work party with 11 volunteers plus
Park staff included pruning for safety for sight distance plus water bar
creation. Seven college women came for an alternative spring break trip
and continued where the corrections crew stopped, completing 3 more
acres clearing duff around the trees. Talking to lawyers about the Adopt a
Trail volunteer program. Jeff met with Mike Faught about trails that access
the water treatment plant. Bottom of Bandersnatch will not be changed at
all and the Art trail can stay. Jabberwocky Trail is now open and taking
some pressure off the closed area.
C. City and Parks Underburn Planning (10 min)
i. Marty and Tom Murphy are finishing burn plans in Siskiyou Mountain
Park and four additional burn units. The goal is to complete all plans by the
end of the week. An invitation to bid on the underburning went out and
Grayback Forestry was the only entity to bid. This is a three year contract.
This project comes with a high mobilization cost and a 96 hour full mop
up. Marty is working on the Epstein property adjacent to Siskiyou
Mountain Park which will combine burns and will burn across boundaries.
Lomakatsi has been burning piles at Acid Castle Rocks for 3 days,
completing 15 acres so far out of 42 total acres.
D. AFR and AFAR Project Update (10 min)
i. AFR: The current helicopter is the lowest capacity machine but is very
noisy. The Blackhawk(Blue and Orange)will be coming in with 8,0001b
capacity. 20% done on the 400 acres. TREX will burn in AFR. Burn season
will go on as long as we have conditions, gaining acres by the Skyline
Mine area near No Candies Trail.
ii. AFAR: Natural Resource Conservation Service and Oregon Watershed
Enhancement Board(OWEB) are the primary funders. 1,100 acres (private
and city land) are under agreement under the OWEB grant. Properties
included in this project are strategic. The Forest Service has allocated an
additional $1.2 million on the landscape, funding 2018 TREX,burning,
thinning, monitoring and community engagement.
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E. Meeting Process
i. Frank sent out the Draft Meeting Management document and is looking to
adopt a structure for presenters.
John made a motion to approve the Draft Meeting Management document,
Luke seconds, all in favor.
VII. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
VIII. REVIEW AND SET COMMISSION CALENDAR/NEXT MEETING
AGENDA
A. Next Regularly Scheduled Meeting is May 9th, 2017
B. Agenda Items: Leave No Trace (Torsten)
IX. ADJOURN: 6:50 PM
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you 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).
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