Successes in Restoring Forest Health

Siuslaw National Forest, Oregon: Saving money and improving access
The Siuslaw National Forest contains 630,000 acres of diverse and productive land, a wide variety of plants, wildlife, and four major, fish-filled rivers. Nestled along the ocean and within the Oregon Coast Mountain Range, the Siuslaw contains a network of roads. Some of the roads provide safe access, but the Forest Service simply has too many roads to maintain. When they fall into disrepair, they dump tons of dirt into these otherwise pristine waters. For example, when culverts along 4.4 miles of the Cape Creek Road became blocked, tons of sediment washed into the stream, requiring costly clean-up and road repair.

As in the years before, in 2002 the Siuslaw received just 22 percent of the money it needed to maintain key forest roads. To put maintenance dollars to the best use possible, the Forest has begun to decommission high-cost, high-risk roads, which previously required huge taxpayer clean-ups after landslides, washouts and other erosion. For a one-time expense of $170,000, the Forest re-contoured the bed of the problematic, unneeded Cape Creek Road, along with its three concrete bridges and six culverts. Using money and road-building materials saved from the old road, the Siuslaw Forest employed local labor to improve a parallel, more popular road. This action also helped protect fish spawning and rearing areas, protecting this valuable natural resource for recreational anglers.

The Cedar River, Washington: Protecting Drinking Water and Saving Millions of Dollars
One ongoing forest health restoration program in Washington State provides an excellent example of how to save taxpayers’ money by restoring habitat and providing jobs. The Cedar River and Tolt River watersheds outside of Seattle provide clean, drinking water to millions of people. The natural forest turns out to be one of the most efficient water collection and purification systems around. But out-dated forest roads and other scars on the land damage the Cedar and Tolt watersheds. To maintain a safe and affordable source of drinking water, Seattle will spend approximately $6 million on forest health restoration over a 20-year period. An alternative to this work is a multi-million dollar water filtration facility with ongoing facility costs thereafter. The city believes that forest restoration is much cheaper over time. The good–paying jobs and improved fish and wildlife habitat are additional benefits.

Clearwater National Forest, Idaho: Local decisions, local jobs
In 1995 and 1996, storms led to more than 900 landslides throughout the Clearwater National Forest in central Idaho. In response, Forest Service staff held public meetings to explain proposals for dealing with the landslides and to hear local concerns. The meeting was contentious. Many local folks feared the agency would limit access to the woods by closing roads. Listening to these concerns, watershed restoration personnel began implementing solutions that included outreach to and input from the local community. As a result the Forest, in partnership with the Nez Perce tribe, is rehabilitating drainages throughout the forest by turning over 40 miles of old road into secure hillside each year with more public support than opposition.

The program to restore natural areas by re-contouring harmful and unneeded roadbeds in the Clearwater National Forest is successful because it is democratic and balanced. The forest manages ecological needs with human use by weighing which roads are important to forest management and local motorists and which roads are most damaging to fisheries and wildlife. One individual, who initially opposed decommissioning harmful roads, now helps identify problems that need to be fixed and organizes volunteers to work on restoration projects. Another key to the program’s success is hiring local workers to restore forest health. Heavy equipment operators find forest health restoration deeply satisfying and financially rewarding work, which helps them maintain their independence and care for their families. Forest restoration has become an important part of local economies. (See below photos showing the recovery of the land and river, people at work, and preservation of human access).