Fremont-Winema National Forest News
The Pacific Northwest Region of the U.S.D.A. Forest Service has selected a new Regional Forester, effective Jan. 14. As the Regional Forester, Jacqueline “Jacque” Buchanan will oversee the management of 16 National Forests, two National Scenic Areas, a National Grassland, and two National Volcanic Monuments within the states of Oregon and Washington.
“Jacque’s diverse and rich experience in the Forest Service, including her time as Deputy Regional Forester in the Rocky Mountain Region, makes her the ideal leader for the Region. Her dedication to conservation and land management, combined with her exceptional leadership strength, makes her well fit to address the opportunities and challenges in the Pacific Northwest,” said Randy Moore, Forest Service Chief. “Her commitment to collaboration and her skill in engaging diverse groups are key strengths, and she is the right person at the right time to lead the Pacific Northwest Region.”
A contract with the International Conservation Foundation enabled a unique fall planting of 157,146 seedlings within the 242 Fire burn area. The planting was initially scheduled to occur in Spring of 2024, but the site conditions, weather forecast, quality of seedlings, and available resources made it possible and advantageous to attempt the planting.
Forty-five thousand of those seedlings are being treated with an endophytes, which may speed up the development of mycorrhizal networks between trees. Research suggests that mycorrhizal fungal networks between trees may facilitate inter-tree communication and defense, enabling more rapid and complex response to pests, disease, changing water conditions and other stimuli.
A team from the Forest received the Regional Forester’s Honor Award for their work relating to the Wildfire Crisis Strategy. Judd Lehman, David Lilly, Evan Wright, Emerson Cogburn, Jade Souza, and Kyle Gomez received the award for innovative practices and achieving results in reducing fire risk in the wildland-urban interface, including more than 60,000 acres that will be treated in the areas near Chiloquin and Sprague River over the next five years.
A recent meteorological event resulted in large quantities of trees falling on trails in the mountains west of Upper Klamath Lake, with the highest population apparently being white fir. Initial counts were hundreds of trees falling per mile over approximately 370 miles of trails. Recreation crews and volunteers from around the Klamath Basin have been working to clear the trails between Lake of the Woods and Cherry Creek, with several dozen miles already cleared.
