Applegate Valley economy grows up and away from boom and bust logging

Southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley is one of three major valleys extending from the foothills of the Siskiyou Mountains along the California border to Oregon’s iconic Rogue River. The Applegate is a paradise of wild nature full of cool creeks, oak savannahs and old-growth forests. The valley is also a treasure rich in history, from Native American salmon ceremonies to gold rush pioneers.

The Applegate is also a microcosm for the changing economy of the western United States. While still dependent on natural resources, the valley’s rural economy increasingly depends on a new generation of businesses built around the scenic mountain views, clear-rushing rivers and outstanding quality of life. Yet a new plan by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) could reverse protection for some of the most accessible and visible lands in the valley.

The agency’s current Western Oregon Plan Revisions (WOPR) would weaken protections for these publicly-owned lands, including old-growth forests in the Applegate Valley and throughout western Oregon. The BLM plan is out of step with the economic trend that is moving communities away from the boom and bust of intensive resource extraction and towards more sustainable economies.

Growing wine industry showcases new economy

A study released in January 2006 by the Oregon Wine Center says the wine industry in Oregon generates more than $1.4 billion in economic activity for the state. The Applegate Valley is home to a budding wine industry, with vineyards dotting the bucolic valley floor. Vintners grow various grapes here, including Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier, Pinot Gris, and a number of others.

Over the past decade wine tourism has come of age in Southern Oregon, until now, according to the Oregon wine Board, it contributes significantly to the $92 million in wine tourism revenues generated statewide. This emerging industry is driven by the Oregon Wine Board, wineries, restaurants, B&Bs and hotels from throughout the area as they promote Southern Oregon as a destination worthy of a visit.  Not solely because of the emerging wine industry, but also because of the viewscapes and outdoor recreational amenities our area has to offer.  We are blessed with forests, mountains, rivers, and a climate that, if properly managed, can make our corner of Oregon a first-class wine tour destination and add a much needed source of new jobs and sustainable revenues to our communities.

"Our region enjoys the weather and soils to grow top quality wine-grapes but also offers outdoor activities and scenic wonders that attract visitors to once-in-a-lifetime outdoor experiences. Visitors that are a foundation for my winery business, as well as a myriad of other wilderness-linked businesses...What we need is forward-looking forest management that weds ecological needs with all the economic interests of our communities."

- Duane Bowman, Cricket Hill Vineyard, Jacksonville, Oregon

Recreation wonderland

The Applegate is the gateway to a recreation wonderland easily accessible from Interstate-5, and the cities of Medford and Grants Pass.  Cascading from the 7,000-foot peaks of the Siskiyou Mountains, the Applegate River and its tributaries flow through rugged canyons woven with unique flowers, rare geology and important wildlife habitat. Hikers, cyclists, hang-gliders, boaters, hunters, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts enjoy the trails, vistas and waterways of the Applegate Valley.

"Annually, timber production adds roughly $4 billion per year to the U.S. economy, while recreation, fish and wildlife, and water catchment on federal lands provide a total of $224 billion."

- Backpacker Magazine, "Last Chance Adventure," October 2005, Volume 33 Issue 236 Number 8

Pioneering new forest practices

The Applegate Valley is also a pioneer in new forest practices that take a lighter touch on the land while still producing the wood products we all need. Out-of-the-Woods Ecoforestry, based in the Little Applegate, is one such venture. Out-of-the-Woods has been working for more than a decade to develop a local economy based on small logs, which they believe is the future of forest management in southwest Oregon. Out-of-the-Woods focuses on thinning to reduce fire risk, harvesting in an environmentally friendly manner to produce Forest Stewardship Council certified products, and providing high value wood products to the community.

Employing local workers, they harvest small-diameter material and process it with a portable bandsaw mill. They recently built a drying kiln for flooring and molding products. They maintain a lumberyard in the Little Applegate where neighbors purchase various building materials from small logs taken out of fire-prone forests in the Applegate. Out-of-the-Woods is a shining example of progressive environmental policies and quality jobs working together for the benefit of all.

Landowners call for forest protection

The BLM has received a remarkable amount of public input about its proposed plans to resurrect controversial logging practices of the past. Hundreds of Applegate Valley landowners have asked the BLM to look at the big picture and recognize the many values that BLM forests engender.

Early in the WOPR process, many community members submitted proposals for Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs) within the Applegate watershed. These increasingly rare areas are notable for their pristine, roadless qualities, botanical populations, unique stream and other distinctive characteristics. ACECs are designed to protect fish, wildlife habitat, and historic, scenic and cultural values.

Most of the ACEC nominations on Medford BLM were rejected early in the WOPR process, yet two in the Applegate (Long Gulch in the Mid-Applegate and Dakubetede in the Little Applegate) remain for further analysis by the BLM.

While public comments have overwhelmingly called for strong old-growth and habitat protections across the WOPR area, the BLM continues to step backward to a bygone era when timber production took precedence above all else, including water quality, recreation and sustainable local economies.

Many rural residents support alternatives that were submitted during "scoping," including the Natural Selection Alternative and the Community Conservation Alternative. It remains to be seen whether the BLM will analyze either.