FG Annual Report 2008 Ver2.pub

Annual Report 2008 FOREST GROVE DISTRICT Then & Now In Loving Memory Bob Gustavson SUPER DF “One of the things I really admired Bob for was his persistence. He was the role model for the saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.” Bob started his professional career with ODF in Astoria and then went on to a distinguished career with forest industry; first in Washington and then in California. Late in his professional career, he returned to ODF and worked his way up to the District Forester position through dedication, hard work and great working relationships with co-workers and cooperators.” — Mike Bordelon “We called him the Super DF when he was selected to be the District Forester over Tillamook and Forest Grove Districts and hung the superman sign, as shown above, in his office on the first day of his promotion. Bob had a good sense of humor.” - Rebecca Edmison, Diane Montague, Margie Grosse and April Reece “I am a better Unit Forester today because of the time I spent working for Bob.” - Erik Marcy Bob always liked a challenge loved to dual about work related things. Always got me to thinking about alternatives.” Diane Montague. “He cared about his forestry family very much and even in his final months as I would visit with him at his home he would ask about this Unit or that Unit and the personnel and if they were getting their work done and how they were doing in general. He still wanted to make sure everything at the office was running smoothly and everyone was doing okay.” - Malcolm Hiatt “Bob was a friendly voice at 2:00 a.m. or on the golf course. Whenever fire resources were requested, he always dug deep and sent what was needed.” - Jill Bradford “Bob enjoyed playing golf as much as anyone, he was a constant participant in our agency tournaments. Bob’s golf game was like all ODF employees, he was never going to make a living playing golf, but he sure loved trying. I was lucky enough to have golfed many times with Bob and I treasure every minute.” - Eric Perkins Employees donations went towards a tree at the Tillamook Forest Center, the Cancer Society and the ODF golf team donated to the Oregon Food Bank. “Bob and I went up to Barney Reservoir to check out several ODF timber sales adjacent to the reservoir. Not only did the operations look great, it was a beautiful day. Usually with his GPS and camera in-hand, it was always fun to head out with Bob." - Dave Johnson, DF (retired) “I really appreciated Bob for the example he set. He was always in his office when I arrived and was still there when I left for the day. He ensured that my decisions were well considered by challenging my thought process. Even if he agreed with me he just had to play the devil's advocate. There were times I thought he truly was the devil! He was detail oriented, cost conscious and always began with the end in mind. Bob was the consummate professional. He also introduced me to beer floats! Cheers to Bob!” - Mitch Taylor “The COMPETITORS: Bob Gustavson, Mitch Taylor, Wayne Auble, and Erin Wilson. It was a beautiful day on the course – sunny skies, light breeze, and unlimited holes of Wii Golf ahead of us. The afternoon was filled with laughter, friendly competition, and great golf! None of us can agree on who won, we just remember how much fun we all had together. “ — Erin Wilson 2 2008 Annual Report Forest Grove District Table of Contents Wayne Auble’s plate at the 2008 All Employees Meeting 2008 Forest Grove Annual Report - Video Link Memorial Page - Bob Gustavson Table of Contents NWOFPA (Northwest Oregon Fire Protective Assoc.) Introduction and Officers 1 2 3 4 4 District Forester Comments Protection Fire Prevention Fire Stats 5 6 7 8 State Forests—Fiscal Year 2008 Marketing Reforestation Engineering Recreation 9 9 9 10 10 Private Forests District Personnel Chart & Information Personnel Changes & Service Awards Contact Information District Map 11 12 13 14 14 2008 Annual Report Forest Grove District 3 NWOFPA Northwest Oregon Forest Protective Association (NWOFPA) represents forest landowners in the Astoria, Tillamook, and Forest Grove Districts and is directed by a board of thirteen members. The Oregon Department of Forestry has had a partnership with the NWOFPA since 1945 (by cooperative agreement) for the fire protection program in the Northwest. The Association analyzes the district’s fire protection budgets, maintains cooperation and communication between forest landowners and the Districts, and makes recommendations on the Districts’ fire protection plan. The Forest Grove District would like to thank the Association for all their support and efforts during 2008. The Northwest Oregon Forest Protective Association, forest industry, operators, landowners and many other agency and private organizations contribute to the success of the District. Thank you all. Andy White, District Forester NWOPFA—Officers Mitch Parker – President Green Diamond Resource Company 503-842-3180 FAX 503-842-3265 mparker@greendiamond.com Roger VanDyke – Vice President Stimson Lumber Company 503-357-2131 FAX 503-357-0465 rvandyke@stimsonlumber.com K.C. VanNatta – Secretary/Treasurer Roman V Ranch, LLC 503-556-5503 FAX 503-556-0854 kc@vannattabros.com Front Page: 1950’s photos from the Estate of Bruce Cottam. 2008 photos taken during the December snow storm. Editors: Rebecca Edmison, Office Manager & April Reece, Office Specialist 2/Dispatcher, Forest Grove District, Don Waldo, IT, Video placement. 4 2008 Annual Report Forest Grove District District Forester Comments 2008 Was a very significant year for many reasons. Not the least of which was the loss of our friend and colleague Bob Gustavson. Bob was just beginning his new position as the District Forester for the Forest Grove and Tillamook Districts, a role he was very excited about, when he was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Bob passed away in late April, leaving us with many great memories. Coming in behind Dave Johnson and Bob Gustavson, I have some very “large shoes to fill”, a task I took on in July when I was selected as the District Forester for the Forest Grove and Tillamook Districts. The District staff has been very helpful during this transition and I am deeply appreciative. Thank you. Winter storms created havoc across the Northwest Oregon Area for the second year in a row bringing unusually high snow accumulations and icy conditions. The inclement weather forced the delayed opening and full-day closure of the Forest Grove Office. The estimated $1.8 million in damage to road systems and heavy snow accumulations in the higher elevations hampered efforts to not only assess the damage but also to complete replanting and timber sale operations. Remarkably, State Forests staff harvested nearly 60 million board feet of timber in FY08, please see the State Forest accomplishments page. FG District was above the 5-year average on both the number of fires and acres burned in 2009. A significant lightning storm moved across northwest Oregon which started 10 fires. Excellent coordination with RFD cooperators and South Fork crews were key in keeping the total acreage at just over 2 acres. Two human caused fires accounted for over half of the 52 acres burned this season. The Protection section of this report will provide more detailed information. The Private Forests program had a very successful year working with landowners and operators across the district. The 2008 “Operator of the Year” award was presented to Stimson and Bighorn Logging who collaborated to construct a deflection berm at the foot of Gales Peak northwest of Forest Grove, an area historically prone to landslides. ….It is always rewarding to see excellent work recognized. 2008 Also marked the beginning of the District Integration process. Dan Goody was selected to spearhead efficient and effective methods of coordinating and streamlining efforts across the Tillamook State Forest. As 2008 ended, the economy was in a downturn, which has yet to abate in 2009. As we head into these uncertain times I want to acknowledge the dedication and hard work of each employee, which is the key to our success. Thank you for your commitment. Andy White, District Forester 2008 Annual Report Forest Grove District 5 Protection From Fire Cherry Grove #2 The 2008 Fire Season began July 1st and ended October 6th. With fire danger indices building rapidly after the July 4th holiday. Precipitation in late July and again in August helped moderate the fire danger indices significantly. September saw a few higher fire danger periods especially as fall pattern east winds developed over the district. Fire season lasted 98 days in 2008; just slightly below the 102 day average for a typical fire season. The fire activity level was above normal for both the number of fires and the acres burned. The District supported two state Incident Management Team dispatches, Summit Springs Fire in Sisters and Double Day Fire in Medford. The Forest Grove District also got to experience a dry lightning storm this summer that started very early in the morning on August 17 starting 10 fires with little to no rain. Our Cooperators and district personnel did an excellent job with aggressive initial attack keeping all of these fires at 2 acres or less. Highway 30 Fire Besides the dry lightning event, the Forest Grove Unit suppression on the Cherry Grove fire and the Columbia City Unit, Highway 30 fire, was actually three separate fires occurring simultaneously, caused by a catastrophic semi-trailer suspension failure. Both of these fires were significant events with the Cherry Grove fire going into multiple operational shifts and burning 17.9 acres and the Highway 30 fires burning a total of 12 acres, involving multiple jurisdictions, and threatening one home and several outbuildings. Columbia City Fire Crew 6 2008 Annual Report Forest Grove District Fire Prevention Historic Picture courtesy of LFPA 2008 Wildfire Awareness Campaign Reached 3,797,890 households in Oregon and SW Washington for 1/2 cent per household. Then & Now Fire Prevention Partnership 2008 Brought the expansion of the fire prevention partnership between ODF and the Meredith Corporation. From April 12, 2008 to Nov. 2, 2008 we were able to put at least one fire prevention message per week in over 3,000,000 households in 22 Oregon counties and 6 Southwest Washington counties for about ½ cent per household. Most of the funds for this project came from federal grants and from private corporate sponsors. It appears that this partnership is one that will continue and expand in years to come. Another significant accomplishment was the awarding of the first USFS Fuels Reduction Grant for Washington County ($222,000) and the tentative award to Columbia County ($300,000). These grants were awarded due to the completion of the Community Wildfire Protection Plans for both counties. Malcolm Hiatt, Protection Unit Forester . Forest Grove Seasonal Softball 2008 Annual Report Forest Grove District 7 Number of Fires By General Cause -CAUSE NUMBER OF FIRES BY GENERAL 2008 50 45 45 2008 Fire Stats 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 10 6 5 0 0 0 4 2 5 2 1 4 11 cr . RR Sm ke . sc . Mi v. as h Lt ng so n uip De br Lg Re Ju Eq Sl . uip n. Fires By Year Stat Fires Non-Stat Fires NFCA Fires Total Fire Calls Eq 2004 25 15 104 144 2005 33 10 74 117 Br 2006 53 19 90 162 Br n. 2007 29 19 100 148 Ar 2008 Average 37 16 104 157 45 18 154 217 INDUSTRIAL FIRE PRECAUTION LEVELS IFPL Level I Level II Level III Level IV NW1 98 0 0 0 NW2 67 26 5 0 NW3 51 42 5 0 2007 77 11 0 0 2006 55 52 3 0 2005 49 34 0 0 2004 74 26 0 0 SMOKE MANAGEMENT To Acres Registered Accomplished 4451 3786 Tons 26,107 20,478 ta l . . n. is # of Units 117 96 8 2008 Annual Report Forest Grove District State Forest FY08 The Marketing Unit prepared and sold 14 timber sales during fiscal year 2008 totaling 65 MMBF at a value of $20,465,000. A total of 59.5 MMBF was harvested generating $26,305,000 in timber revenues. This included all of the wind-throw salvage sales from the December 2006 wind storm. An additional 0.6 MMBF of negotiated special timber sales were sold and harvested during FY08. MARKETING—Erik Marcy Forest Products Timber Sales Clear Cut Acres Partial Cut Acres Timber Harvested Negotiated & Informal Sales Misc. Forest Products Wood Cutting Sales Commercial Woodcutting Number 14 711 2284 Est. Volume 66,500 MMBF Est. Revenue $20,465,000 58,943 MMBF 515 MMBF 189 594 3 permits 1188 Cords 1000 Cords $26,221,605 $ $ $ $ 83,281 18,900 5,940 500 Wayne Brown, 25 Years of Service REFORESTATION—Mitch Taylor With snow in 2008 mounted to over 400% above normal by springtime, the District still accomplished over 700 acres of planting, including greater than 100 acres in scattered salvage areas that resulted from a December 2006 storm event. Budget restrictions eliminated the PCT and fertilization projects for the year, so staff focused on catching up with stocking surveys, completing over 1000 acres in first and second year surveys. Continued effort was applied to noxious weed management in the district including roadside and riparian treatment of knotweed, scotch broom, reed canary grass, blackberry, poison hemlock, clematis, and herb robert. Reforestation Tree Planting Inter-planting Release Manual Site Prep—Aerial Site Prep—Manual Tree Protection Noxious Weed Management Pruning Pre-Commercial Thin No. Acres 715 139 197 121 343 206 1600 41 156 2008 Annual Report Forest Grove District 9 State Forest cont. After the December 2007 storm brought record stream flows and extensive damage to roads in the Forest Grove District, heavy snowfall in December of 2008 kept us out of many areas until June. Road Specialists inspected all of the damage (over 200 sites) with a FEMA assessment team and prepared preliminary plans and appraisals for repair totaling approximately $1.8 million. District Equipment Operators plowed snow to open miles of road for access to reforestation contract units and future timber sale areas. Routine road maintenance work and minor repairs were completed as the snow melted back. Other activities accomplished by Engineering Unit staff during the fiscal year include reconstruction of a rail crossing and fabrication and installation of gates. ENGINEERING—Terry Orton Engineering Bridges Constructed Corners Set or Restored Miles of Property Lines Miles of Roads Improved Miles of Road Constructed Miles of Road Vacated Miles of Roads Maintained Miles of Roadside Brush Control Miles 0 0 1/2 6.2 11.1 0.1 90 2 The winter storms of 2007 impacted all of our campground facilities and many of our trails. Storm damage repair work was needed at four of the five campgrounds. As a result, they opened later than normal for the 2008 summer camping season. Even with the shortened use season, over 8,000 visitors enjoyed camping in the campgrounds on the district. In January 2008 Jahmaal Rebb joined the Recreation Unit as the new Off-highway Vehicle Program Specialist. The Recreation Unit staff coordinated a significant amount of trail maintenance and trail improvement work that was accomplished on contract as well as with South Fork crews, Columbia River Youth Corps crews, district OHV Trail Equipment Operators, and volunteers. Over 400 volunteers contributed close to 6214 hours of time valued at over $120,000 helping the district operate and maintain the campgrounds and the motorized and non-motorized trail system. RECREATION—Randy Peterson Recreation Activity Overnight Campers Non-Motorized Trail Construction Non-Motorized Trail Maintenance OHV Trail Improvement Total 8,076 1 Mi Recreation Activity Campground Rev Non-Motorized Trail Improvement Total $36,839.00 3.4 Mi 0.0 Mi 21.5 Mi 42.5 Mi OHV Trail Construction 10 Mi OHV Trail Maintenance 10 2008 Annual Report Forest Grove District Private Forests Stewardship Forestry Accomplishment *1,567 Notifications Pre-Operation Inspection Written Plan Reviewed Complaint Investigation Written Statement of Unsatisfactory Condition Citation Reforestation Planting Inspections Cost Share/Grant Associated Projects Conversion/Planting Acres Management Plans Riparian Enhancement Projects * Includes SF Oregon Watershed Enhancement Projects 265 256 56 28 3 275 5 739 3 32 1 The mission of the Private Forest Program is to serve landowners and Oregon citizens by working to keep private forests sustainable. The main goals under this mission are to: 1)Maintain the social license to practice forestry in Oregon; 2)Provide value to landowners through provision of services and incentives; and 3)Lead the State of Oregon in developing new areas relevant to private forestry. The Forest Grove District Stewardship Foresters hard work and dedication to our cooperators in Washington, Yamhill and Columbia Counties yielded a couple “Operator of the Year” awards presented to Bighorn Logging and Stimson Lumber in 2008. Brent Onion awarded 20 year service award by District Forester, Andy White. 2008 Annual Report Forest Grove District 11 Organizational Chart—2008 FOREST GROVE DISTRICT FORESTER Andy White X7006M #461 OFFICE MANAGER Rebecca Edmison X0806M #663 ASSIST DIST FOR Wayne Auble X7004M #556 FUS 2 / FG PROT UNIT FOR Malcolm Hiatt X8232M #676 FUS 2 COLUMBIA UNIT Mike Simek X8232M #674 OFFICE SPEC 2 Marjorie Grosse' C01040 #482 OFFICE SPEC 2 Diane Montague C01040 #501 OFFICE SPEC 2 April Reece C01040 #1222 OFFICE SPEC 1 Lisa Olsen C01030 #492 MARKETING FUS 2 Erik Marcy X8232M #477 NRS 2 Jeff Peck C85020 #0502 NRS 2 Laurie O'nion C85020 #3905 NRS 1 Vacant C85010 #454 NRS 1 Nathan Agalzoff C85010 #1226 NRS 1 Jay Sandman C85010 #527 NRS 1 Andrew Walker C85010 #3734 ENGINEERING FUS 2 Terry Orton X8232M #479 NRS 1 Thomas Whittington C85010 #534 NRS 1 Erin Wilson C85010 #3899 NRS 1 Vacant C85010 #1223 EQUIP OPERATOR Bruce Widener C4422 #511 EQUIP OPERATOR Terry Marshall C4422 #668 EQUIP OPERATOR Pat Dunlap C4422 #1015 EQUIP OPERATOR Bruce Harris C4422 #3924 FUS 2 Randy Peterson X8232M #4861 RECREATION - NRS 2 Stephanie Beall C85020 #3612 FOR MGT TECH Josie West (Seasonal FMT) C82110 #4003 OHV NRS 1 Jahmaal Rebb C85010 #3735 NRS1 Andy Austill C85010 #711 NRS1 Roger Warren C85010 #4860 3 STU/PROF FOR WRK (Interns) C82350 #3615 - Vacant #3616 - Vacant #3617 - Vacant NRS 2 Brent O'Nion C85020 #465 NRS 2 Eric Perkins C85020 #1232 NRS 2 Tom Kennedy C85020 #797 NRS 2 Vacant C85020 #471 Note: 6400 Funding Only?? AUTOMOTIVE TECH Terry Hudnall C4419 #483 PROTECTION FUS 1 Greg Juber X8231M #671 FOREST OFFICER Kevin Geary C82100 #3745 OFFICE COORD Karen Simonton C08010 #681 OFFICE SPEC 1 Laura Brien C01030 #3691 NRS 2 Mark Reed C85020 #3417 NRS 2 Lee Winslow C85020 #783 NRS 2 John Krause C85020 #464 PROTECTION FUS 1 Kelly Niles X8231M #669 FOREST OFFICER Rolf Erlandson C82100 #717 FOREST OFFICERS Seasonal Employees C82100 #683, #684, #685, #690, #710, #720 Note: #4681 - New FUS2 - 07-09 #4860 - New NRS1 - 07-09 #1297 - New FMT - 07-09 NRS1 Tara Carlson C85010 #2164 ISS3 Don Waldo C1483 #4617 REFOR FUS 2 Mitch Taylor X8232M #549 NRS 1 Wayne Brown C85010 #476 FOREST OFFICERS Seasonal Employees C82100 #691, #706, #707, #715, #718, #1231 STUDENT WORKERS Seasonal Employees C41140 #747, #748, #749 FG Org Chart.vsd/Jaz A Rev. 12/16/08 FOR MGT TECH Mindy Laird-Garcia C8211 #1297 FOR MGT TECH Vacant C82110 #4004 STUDENT WORKERS Seasonal Employees C41140 #724, #725, #726 LABORER 1 Seasonal Employees C41150 #744, #745, #746 LABORER 1 Seasonal Employees C41150 #727, #728, #729 Then & Now 12 2008 Annual Report Forest Grove District Personnel—2008 Linn Farm, dedicated 34 years of service to ODF. Linn retired from the Columbia City Unit Office. The OSU Alum started his career in the Astoria District and transferred to Columbia City in 1987. Thank you for your many years of service and dedication to ODF! Farewell and Best Wishes Linn. LINN FARM—RETIRES 2008 NEW HIRES & TRANSFERS IN NAME Bob Gustavson Jahmaal Rebb Wayne Auble Andy White Lisa Olsen Nick Dellaca Kurt Peltier Robby Brown Tara Whittington Dustin Kriebel Mindy Laird-Garcia Jodi Kroon Josi West Matt Frison POSITION District Forester OHV Specialist—NRS 1 Assistant District Forester District Forester OS1 Intern Intern Student Worker Student Worker Student Worker FMT NRS2 Seasonal FMT Transfer DATE January January March April May May May June June June August August December December SERVICE AWARDS Brent O’Nion, 20 years Ron Duyck, 20 years Wayne Brown, 25 years Randy Peterson, 15 years Jill Bradford, 10 years Kevin Geary, 10 years Tara Carlson, 5 years Nathan Agalzoff, 5 years Thomas Kennedy, 5 years Thomas Whittington, 5 years Lee Winslow, 5 years 2008 Annual Report Forest Grove District 13 website: http://egov.oregon.gov/odf/field/fg/aboutus.shtml FOREST GROVE DISTRICT OFFICE 801 GALES CREEK ROAD FOREST GROVE, OR 97116 (503) 357-2191 (503) 357-4548 FAX COLUMBIA CITY UNIT OFFICE 405 E STREET COLUMBIA CITY, OR 97018 (503) 397-2636 (503) 397-6361 FAX 14 2008 Annual Report Forest Grove District