Forest

Revisiting Change in 2021

While this blog has been silent since 2019, I have not been idle. My work down in the Umpqua River area of Southern Oregon has continued by visiting late-successional/old-growth forests that continue to be threatened with logging by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service. This was my sixth year of travel in the Umpqua and the last couple years have brought dramatic changes to some locations I have previously visited. Largely inspired by Canadian photographer TJ Watt’s collection of before and after photos of old-growth logging on Vancouver Island, I set out this year to do a similar project.

What follows is a collection of 10 or 12 photo pairs of forest stands altered by one of two events: the 2020 Woodchuck Timber Sale or the 2020 Archie Creek Wildfire. The Woodchuck Timber Sale was a BLM project that had been appealed by Umpqua Watersheds (a local environmental non-profit) to the highest level within the Department of Interior. Unfortunately, they were not able to secure an order to halt the project while their appeal was reviewed by the Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA). The impact of that was that the project was free to continue while the appeal languished. The 2020 Archie Creek Wildfire burned through nearly 140,000 acres of terrain in the Rock Creek / North Fork Umpqua River area east of Glide, Oregon. The wildfire ravaged a number of areas that the BLM were planning to log under the Umpqua Sweets Harvest Plan (which was also sure to be appealed).

Much like TJ’s photo series, I’ve found the change in environment jarring, particularly in the areas burnt by the Archie Creek Wildfire. I can still recall the details and experiences of my many visits. I can try to put this into words but, quite frankly, that isn’t my strong suit. I hope these photos can tell their own story, of what we have, and what we can lose…

Woodchuck Timber Sale:

Archie Creek Wildfire:

Birds Eye View of 2018

2018 has continued my focus on the remnant late-successional / old-growth forests on federal lands within the Umpqua River basin in Southern Oregon. This summer, I launched my Umpqua LSOG Project website, which serves as a main hub for the photography, 360-degree video, and mapping content that I’ve created since beginning my efforts back in 2016. This year, I finally relented and purchased a drone (the DJI Mavic Air) to expand my options while documenting old-growth. Drones are expensive and noisy but they offer an undeniable perspective. I will point to this photo essay by the International League of Conservation Photographers as my original inspiration for pursuing this but Canadian photographer TJ Watt has also been using drones effectively in his work with the Ancient Forest Alliance to preserve the old-growth on Vancouver Island that has been getting decimated by logging.

In the spirit of that brand of activism, I’d like to share ten photos taken this year with my drone. To be clear, the photos were taken either on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or Forest Service land but not inside any prohibited areas like designated wilderness or national parks. After all, those lands are protected from logging and these locations are not.

1. Lone Rock Timber Access Road

Lone Rock Timber Access Road, Northern Spotted Owl Critical Habitat Unit WCS-6

Local activist Francis Earthington stands next to a 400+ year old stump that was logged back in May of 2018. Using a nearly 60 year old reciprocal right-of-way agreement with the BLM, local Roseburg company Lone Rock Timber was able to cut down old growth trees located within federally designated Northern Spotted Owl Critical Habitat (Unit WCS-6) without any public comment or appeal. Lone Rock claimed that it needed the access road to reach its adjacent property which they intended to log. The right-of-way agreement guarantees this type of access and the agreement was crafted before the passage of the Endangered Species Act. To this date, the company has yet to log the specific stand of trees is alleged it needed the access to. Furthermore, during the uproar when this action became public, it was discovered that the company had not filed plans with Oregon’s Department of Forestry about their planned operations. Thanks to Oregon’s anemic Forest Practices laws, the company received little more than a tongue lashing for omitting 6 acres of harvest from their plans (and the timber revenue that they would owe the state).

2. Woodchuck Timber Sale Unit 01

Woodchuck Timber Sale Unit 01

This BLM timber sale near Days Creek is currently held up under appeal by Umpqua Watersheds to the Interior Department’s Interior Board of Land Appeals. Unit 01 is one of the largest units from the sale and lies within the nesting habitat range of 5 different Spotted Owl nests. This beautiful multi-trunked Madrone tree has proven a challenge to photograph from the ground since my camera is always pointed up into the sky but this top down vantage from the drone worked out great.

3. Emile Timber Sale Unit 01

Emile Timber Sale Unit 01

Between the previous photo and this one, it’s one of my favorite drone photos so far since it shows the multi-story canopy characteristic of old growth forests. This BLM timber sale was proposed in 1998 and was located along the western edge of the Umpqua National Forest up the Little River valley outside of Glide, Oregon. Although the Forest Service was beginning to change its philosophy about clearcutting old growth, the BLM did not share that view and was determined to clearcut 3.5 million board feet of lumber from the sale’s ten individual units. The sale was ultimately ruled illegal in 2001.

4. and 5. White Castle Timber Sale Unit 08

White Castle Timber Sale Unit 08
White Castle Timber Sale Unit 08

White Castle was the second of two pilot projects envisioned by noted Pacific Northwest Forestry professor Dr. Jerry Franklin. Unfortunately, this pilot project was an attempt to rebrand traditional clear cutting as a new term- variable retention harvest. Environmentalists weren’t impressed with the results of the 1st pilot project (named Buck Rising) so when White Castle was proposed in 2011, they immediately got to work to prevent it. Unit 08 of White Castle was even home to two tree sit protests (watch a video about that here). The day of this particular photo had several passing showers so I had to work quick to get my drone up for some photos before the next round of hard rain re-appeared. I also missed peak fall color by one week as well!

6. Layng Creek Timber Sale Unit 05

Layng Creek Timber Sale Unit 05

This Umpqua National Forest demonstration sale from the late 1990s was located within one mile of the City of Cottage Grove’s municipal water intake valve. Thankfully, this sale was eventually withdrawn and not subsequently re-advertised. This photo is an excellent example of a drone’s ability to make sense out of chaos. The understory here is dominated by Vine Maple. If I were to photograph this area from the ground, the results would not be good. All the branches and trunks of the Vine Maples would just create a busy scene with no order. Using the drone to just gain 20 feet above the Vine Maple canopy provides a pleasing sea of maple leaves.

7. and 8. Upper South Myrtle Harvest Plan Units I and J

Upper South Myrtle Harvest Plan Unit I
Upper South Myrtle Harvest Plan Unit J

These two units were identified as part of a 10 year harvest plan for the Upper South Myrtle Creek watershed east of the town of Myrtle Creek. The plan was released in 1997 and proposed clear cutting 11.2 million board feet of lumber. Many of the identified units (including I and J) had unstable soils. The four sales born out of the harvest plan were held up by lawsuits and ultimately stayed. I like these two photos for once again showing the multi-story aspect of the forest canopy.

9. Quartz Integrated Project (White Timber Sale) Unit 20

Quartz Integrated Project (White Timber Sale) Unit 20

This Umpqua National Forest project is still very much threatened with logging. Several groups including Cascadia Wildlands and Oregon Wild sued the Forest Service for a temporary stay claiming that the Forest Service had violated the NEPA process twice. Unfortunately, the week before my only visit to the various sale units, the courts denied the stay. This project is important because it will impact about 75 active Red Tree Vole nests. These small rodents are a primary food source for the endangered Northern Spotted Owl. I had one rain soaked day to visit and document as much as I could. This was from the end of the day during a brief lull in the rain when I could pop my drone up and take a picture from the top of Unit 20 looking north down into the Clark Creek drainage. Despite the ruling in favor of the Forest Service, the logging has not begun thanks largely to the onset of winter and the snows that come with it. It is unclear what will happen when spring returns.

10. and 11. Devils Canyon Portion, 2017 Umpqua North Complex Fire

Devils Canyon Portion, 2017 Umpqua North Complex Fire
Devils Canyon Portion, 2017 Umpqua North Complex Fire

The summer of 2017 brought huge wildfires to Oregon’s Southern Cascade range in the Umpqua National Forest. One portion of the wildifre crept down an unnamed ridge into a beautiful area known as Dog Prairie. The fire reached the valley floor but stopped on the banks of Dog Prairie Creek. Sadly, the fire advanced through a 13 acre remnant patch of old-growth that had been a flashpoint during the late 90s for a timber sale on the Umpqua National Forest known as Snog. It was (and still is) home to 6′ diameter trees and had been included in the sale as Unit 2. This patch of remnant old-growth was so highly regarded that it became a tree-sit protest site while the sale was still a reality. The site was eventually withdrawn from the Snog sale but there was no escaping the fire in 2017. The fire that did sweep through was primarily a ground based fire so the thick bark of the biggest trees was able to protect them. These two photos are located just a mere stone’s throw from the boundary of Unit 2.

12. Little River Demo Unit 3

Little River Demo Unit 3

The final drone photo I have selected was taken in one of my personal favorite units that were spared the axe. The Little River Demo Sale was a Forest Service sale proposal from around 1998 and its sole purpose was to “study” the impact of clearcutting on an undisturbed old-growth forest. The five units of this sale are located around an area known as Willow Flats in the North Umpqua Ranger District and is home to some very large trees including the President Taft Grove which contains a nearly 10′ diameter Douglas Fir. This photo is from Unit 3 which was to be mostly logged (40% of the trees were to be retained). Unit 5, it’s next door neighbor and equally as impressive was supposed to be logged even more with only 15% of the trees to be retained. It would have been a huge tragedy for these units to have been cut but, thankfully, the forest received a new superintendent who immediately recognized the importance of this area and cancelled the sale.


My primary use of a drone was for the photography but I also shot some video during my trips. Here are the video compilations from my two trips this year:

Spring Umpqua Recap

I recently returned from another busy trip down to the Umpqua region in Southern Oregon. Between last fall’s trip and now, I’ve been quite busy behind the scenes building my Umpqua LSOG Project website but there is still a lot of work to do heading out to visit the many sales scattered across the watershed. During my six days down south, I managed to visit near two dozen different timber sale units and virtually all of them were first time visits. I must confess that traditional photography has taken a little bit of a backseat during these field visits. I’m really pushing to expand my use of my Garmin Virb 360 degree camera and trying to ensure I have at least one video and one 360 degree photo from each sale unit that I visit. On this trip I also added yet another technology tool into my toolset- a drone.

I confess I have a love/hate relationship with drones. I hate the sound they make and the drone user community has lots of examples of drone pilots who disregard the rules of flying drones. In spite of the negativity, I can admit that they can be a very useful tool for capturing visuals that are otherwise impossible or very difficult to otherwise achieve. Cost and fear of turning a $1,000 drone into a paperweight kept me away for years but I finally decided the time was right. I chose the DJI Mavic Air because of its size, crash avoidance technology, higher data bit rate, and its more protected camera gimbal. A smaller drone does mean a smaller battery and, consequently, a shorter flight time. The drone community has also complained that the Mavic Air has a shorter flight range compared with the Mavic Pro but I can’t say that I felt hindered by its range during my time with it.

So my initial trip with the drone option was a success. It does open up a different realm of photo opportunities mostly because you are photographing looking down rather than up into the sky. Even a gray day will force you to bracket exposures or compromise exposure with a single photo. This was the situation with one of the photos I’ve shared below of a Pacific Madrone in Woodchuck Unit 1. The tree has a beautiful arching shape but, from the ground, a large expanse of sky is included in any composition. The top down perspective of this tree is not only unique but more easily captured in camera.

The drone’s elevated perspective also helps with simplifying the chaos of the ground. In many Pacific Northwest forests, you will have an understory canopy of Vine Maple. From the ground, the branches of Vine Maple run horizontally in all sorts of directions. It can create a busy scene and such was the case with Layng Creek Unit 5. From above, however, the leaves of the Vine Maple flatten out and create a beautiful carpet of leaves, completely obscuring what’s going on underneath. I do think that drone photographs can diminish the size of features, especially if there’s not something else in the photo like a person which help our minds with determine scale.

I wasn’t able to accomplish my biggest priority which was to visit a new logging road built through 400 year old stand of old-growth. The most direct access has been eliminated due to locked gates and no trespassing signs but there is a backroad route to visit the site via a 16 mile series of inner connected roads. I made it about 12 miles before the road became less traveled and I questioned my chances of continuing. I’ll try again this fall.

Introducing the Umpqua LSOG Project

Loafer Timber Sale, Unit 29
Things have been very quiet on this blog but I haven’t. Over the last 2 years, my photography focus had shifted somewhat and I have transitioned from more frequent “local” trips to just a few multi-day trips down to the Umpqua River area in southern Oregon. So what’s down there, and why the change? In at least one way, it’s actually a natural progression from my own personal goals within photography. I’ve always enjoyed exploring off the beaten path or lesser known locations rather than gravitating towards popular destinations. In that quest to find new places to explore, I came to remember the Umpqua while researching old-growth forests in Oregon.

Twenty plus years ago, I was starting my first semester of grad school down in southern California and had received an assignment in a seminar which was to write a critique of a published essay. The essay I chose (or was assigned) was about the state of the world’s forests. As I crafted my critique, my research led me to a website for an organization called Umpqua Watersheds, which was based in Roseburg, Oregon. They were fighting against a slew of proposed timber sales on federal public lands (Bureau of Land Management & U.S. Forest Service) that were targeting late-successional / old-growth forests (or LSOG for short). The site had compelling narratives and photos and was probably ahead of its time in terms of publicizing its cause.

Despite the fact that the Northwest Forest Plan, which was created to end the timber wars between logging & environmentalists, had been adopted a few years earlier, 1995 brought forth a congressional bill named the 1995 Salvage Rider. You can read some background about it here and here but essentially this rider revived many timber sales targeting old-growth timber on public lands from the 1980s that had been defeated on environmental concerns. It took about 10 years for the dust to largely settle and, during that time, there were both wins and losses for both sides of the issue.

Ragu Timber Sale, Unit E
I followed developments via their website but- life happens. I moved from California up to Washington State to take a job and set up roots. Next thing I know, twenty years have gone by and I’m wondering whatever happened “down there.” Thus began a 2 year journey which brings me to the present. During that time, I reached out and connected with the folks from Umpqua Watersheds and that led to meeting and talking with Francis Eatherington who was, among other things, the person in charge of the website updates back then. I am, by trade, a map maker and GIS analyst and I used those skills to assemble an interactive map showing the locations of all the timber sale units that had been promoted and discussed on the old Umpqua Watershed website.

It had a lot of information but was incomplete in some respects since the timeframe of all this was literally the birth of the internet as we know it today. Although formally retired, Francis graciously offered me access to UW’s paper file archives and also offered to guide me in the field to some of those locations. I’ve spent about 30 days over the course of 4 trips scanning documents and crashing brush while exploring the timber sale units which were saved. Last year, I added a 360 degree camera into my arsenal and began capturing that information as well. I now had a lot of great content but it was scattered across several platforms / sites.

I wanted a way to bring all of it back together and that’s why I’m here to announce the launch of a new website: the Umpqua LSOG Project. This website brings together my photography, 360 degree video/photos, and maps all in one place. The main landing page has a story map (think of a PowerPoint presentation but with maps) which provides background about this region for the uninitiated and ultimately leads you to the other content. Fundamentally, this is the site’s purpose- to promote awareness and appreciation to a resource that’s been in decline for the last century.

Wildcat Timber Sale, Unit 2
Since the 2016 presidential election, a lot of awareness has been focused on areas like Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, & the Arctic Wildlife Refuge which all have had some level of protection in the past. These areas within the Umpqua have not been afforded the same level of protections and are very much in peril today as they were back in 1995. To that end, I have also included an interactive map called the Northwest Forest Plan Data Viewer which allows you, the public, to view the many datasets of the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) in one place. The NWFP guides decision making on federal public lands in the Pacific Northwest and providing access to the supporting data allows the public to become better informed and provide more substantive public comments. This was the second purpose I had for creating this site.

The website provides a good snapshot in time but I do not intend for it to be a static website. As I create new content, I intend to add it to the website. I hope you’ll check out the website and become an Umpqua admirer like I have!..

The Last Stands – 9 Saved Places

In the past, I would participate in a year-end tradition among photographers where favorite photographs over the previous year are selected and then featured in a blog post. Rather than do that, I decided to do something different. In 2016, I focused solely on visiting remnant old growth stands in the Umpqua River watershed in Southern Oregon so I have decided to highlight nine old growth forests that I visited which were threatened with logging during the last 20 years but were saved due to the efforts of Umpqua Watersheds, a local conservation group based in Roseburg, Oregon. I felt that highlighting these public lands is important for a number of reasons but, first and foremost, I do believe that they will come under threat of logging once again in the near future.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has already issued a revised resource management plan and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is just beginning the process of updating the Northwest Forest Plan. The timber industry is looking to increase timber volumes from public lands under both plans (the BLM is already being sued by BOTH sides about their just release management plan) and it’s important to remind people about why these places deserved (and continue to deserve) protection. So, in no particular order..

1.East Fork Coquille (Umpqua Watersheds link)

This sale was issued by the BLM in 2003 and proposed clearcutting 600 acres of mature and old growth forests west of Roseburg in the Coastal Mountain Range. The oldest stands within the proposed units were more than 400 years old. The sale was finally stopped in 2006 due to a failure to protect Red Tree Voles (a food source for Spotted Owls).

East Fork Coquille Timber Sale, Unit 105
East Fork Coquille Timber Sale, Unit 108

2. Ragu (Umpqua Watersheds link)

Proposed in 1999, this BLM sale is also west of Roseburg near Camas Valley and sought to extract 5 million board feet of lumber from 177 acres. This sale was given a deferred analysis status in 2005 and then permanently scrapped in 2006.

Ragu Timber Sale, Unit I
Ragu Timber Sale, Unit E

3. Dickerson Heights (Umpqua Watersheds link)

A BLM sale proposed in 2006 located southwest of Winston near Ollala. These forests of Dickerson Rocks are home to the threatened Marbled Murrelet and also contain a diverse variety of trees including Madrone, Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine, Canyon Live Oak, and Incense Cedar.

Dickerson Heights Timber Sale, Unit A

4. Cow Catcher (Umpqua Watersheds link)

This BLM sale located within the town of Riddle’s water supply was initially proposed in 1999 but finally stopped in 2006. The BLM wanted to cut this old growth because “..aging stands that are declining in annual growth would be replaced with young, vigorous stands, which would more efficiently produce a sustainable supply of timber and other forest commodities.” (Cow Catcher Environmental Assessment, pg 21).

Cow Catcher Timber Sale, Unit C

5. Spam (Umpqua Watersheds link)

A Forest Service sale in the Tiller Ranger District, this 1999 sale proposed logging on 312 including at least one unit that had never been logged before. This sale was stopped due to legal challenges related to the Survey and Manage component of the Northwest Forest Plan.

Spam Timber Sale, Unit C
Spam Timber Sale, Unit B

6. Felix (Umpqua Watersheds link)

A 1998 timber sale in the North Umpqua Ranger District of the Umpqua National Forest that proposed logging 330 acres of old growth forest, sometimes right up to the edge of a roadless area. This sale also was stopped due to the Survey and Manage lawsuit.

Felix Timber Sale, Unit 5
Felix Timber Sale, Unit 8

7. Nita (Umpqua Watersheds link)

This Forest Service sale dates back to a type of sale called a Section 318 Sale (more info here). The sale was re-opened thanks to the Rider Act of 1995 and was physically part of a Late Successional Reserve. Thanks to legal challenges, the Court ruled that this sale did not qualify under the Rider Act and was once again spared.

Nita Timber Sale, Unit 1
Nita Timber Sale, Unit 2

8. Can Can (Umpqua Watersheds link)

This BLM sale from 2006 proposed logging 520 acres of mature & old growth forests near Canyonville. It contains a diverse mix of trees and is critical habitat and home range for seven Spotted Owls. This sale was also prevented thanks to the Survey and Manage lawsuit.

Can Can Timber Sale, Unit M

9. Zinc (Umpqua Watersheds link)

This 1999 sale in the Umpqua National Forest’s Tiller Ranger District proposed logging 465 acres including large old growth (notably in Unit H). This sale was also halted due to the Survey and Manage lawsuit.

Zinc Timber Sale, Unit H
Zinc Timber Sale, Unit H

For 2017, I plan on heading back down to the Umpqua and continuing my project of visiting and photographing these old growth stands. I’ve recently processed some data which should help direct me towards the biggest tree stands, even in the large sale units so I’m hopeful that I’ll be even more productive. In the meantime, I welcome you to learn more and perhaps get involved in the fight:

My Interactive Map of Umpqua River Basin Old Growth Timber Sales
Umpqua Watersheds
Umpqua Watersheds 20th Anniversary Documentary
Cascadia Wildlands
Oregon Wild
North Coast State Forest Coalition

New Umpqua Image

Four months goes by fast! I spent last week down in the Roseburg area once again to continue exploring the old growth timber sales that weren’t cut. I’ve got a lot of work to do going through everything I photographed but here’s one that I was excited about when I saw it develop. This spot is located in a forgotten spot of the Tiller Ranger District in the Umpqua National Forest. In 1999, this was included as Unit C of the Spam Timber Sale. This 125 acre unit was on what the Forest Service called “Matrix land” but Umpqua Watersheds claimed was ancient forest that had not been logged before. This place was gorgeous and I didn’t spend nearly as much time as I wanted to in it. I will definitely be returning in the spring to walk it more. Anyways, as I focused on the scene in front of me, some of the valley clouds were drifting up towards my location. I just happened to turn around when these Crepuscular rays developed in the trees behind me. I only managed 3 or 4 photos before the effect was already fading away.

 
Spam Timber Sale Unit C, Tiller Ranger District, Umpqua National Forest

I’m hoping to have a whole new batch of photos posted in the next couple weeks so stay tuned!

The Umpqua and the Chainsaw

Loafer Timber Sale Unit 35, Umpqua National Forest
In 1998 I was in grad school in Southern California and taking a seminar in physical geography. One of our assignments was to write a critique of an essay entitled “Sustaining the World’s Forests” by Janet Abramovitz. I won’t bore you with a discussion about the essay (or my critique!) but suffice to say that I had to do some research in order to craft my critique. As I descended down into the rabbit hole of research, I happened across the website of a group called Umpqua Watersheds (UW). Based out of Roseburg, Oregon, this group was fighting to save old growth stands under threat of logging around the Umpqua River watershed.

At that time in the 1990s, the Umpqua region was the center of renewed attempts to log old growth forests as a result of something called the 1995 Salvage Rider (background link and link). The links better explains it but, briefly, the Salvage Rider was one of those typical unrelated 11th hour amendments attached to a larger piece of federal legislation and it re-opened countless numbers of timber sales that had been previously withdrawn due to environmental concerns. To get their message out, UW used their website to publicize the various sales and the UW case against them, and this was something of a first at that time. It was pretty effective because the combination of narrative and photos taken out in the contested sale units really helped make the point about why these places were so special.

On a trip north to visit the Pacific Northwest one summer, I even tried to visit one of the contested sales (I don’t recall actually making it to the contested site, though). A couple years later, I realized one of my dreams and moved up to Washington State. As my new life in Washington came together, I ended up losing track of what was happening down in the Umpqua. Sometime last year, I got curious about what had happened over the last 16 years. The UW website had been revamped at some point and the new version had largely no mention of its past work. The photographer in me was very curious since I love to go out and photograph lesser known locations.

East Fork Coquille Timber Sale Unit 105, Coos Bay BLM District
East Fork Coquille Timber Sale Unit 105, Coos Bay BLM District
E-Mile Timber Sale, Roseburg BLM District
I don’t think I’ve mentioned it before but my background is in cartography and geographic information systems (GIS), and I decided to put those skills to use in answering the question about what has happened. I spent a lot of time combining spatial data from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) & US Forest Service with the information that used to be posted on the old UW website (it’s still accessible via Google searches). I was actually able to do quite a lot on my own but, due to the time frame we’re talking about, a lot of content isn’t available online. I eventually contacted UW to ask the proverbial “what happened” question and share the fruits of my own labor. Not only did I get a lengthy, insightful response, I also got a CC response from Francis Eatherington who was UW’s first salaried employee and someone who was deeply involved in the activism as it was happening.

It was a great surprise to have her respond with her thoughts. Even better, she offered to assist me further with my project by offering access to UW’s hardcopy files in order to fill in the gaps I ran up against on my own. It was a fantastic offer that I’d be crazy to turn down. I made my plans to visit and recently got back from my five days down in Roseburg. Before going too much further, I think it’s important to review a little history lesson. Much of the landscape in the Cascade and coastal mountains in Southern Oregon owe its existence to the expansion of the railroads in the 1800s. The Oregon & California (O&C) line was developed to connect Portland to California. The BLM has a more detailed version of events (link here) but the cliff note version is that the company trying to develop the land as part of the O&C expansion ran into issues and the federal government had to step in. What was left was a severely fragmented landscape that resembles a checkerboard where ownership alternates between private and public land every other square mile.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was tasked with management of the federal lands within the checkerboard and its management is largely dictated by the mandates that are part of the O&C Lands Act of 1937. This act really set the tone for resource management in the area (and not in a good way). The act was very pro-logging and mandates that the local counties get reimbursement payments in return for the “loss” of tax revenues due to the O&C land ownership pattern. This worked out pretty good for counties like Douglas for several decades. The 80s gave rise to concerns about the rapid loss of old growth forests in the region and their impacts on Salmon, Spotted Owls, and the Marbled Murrelet.

Felix Timber Sale Unit 5, Umpqua National Forest
Felix Timber Sale Unit 8, Umpqua National Forest
Felix Timber Sale Unit 8, Umpqua National Forest
As the 90s began, the court of public opinion was turning towards the saving of old growth (outside of the logging industry & associated families, that is). A number of timber sales were challenged and successfully stopped. This is the point in time where we circle back to the passing of the Salvage Rider. Through determined efforts, groups like UW were able to defeat some timber sale proposals that were re-introduced as many as three or four times. Around the early 2000s, the last of the Rider area sales reached a resolution and with that, the Rider era timber sales by and large quieted down. Umpqua Watersheds transitioned from an organization focused on activism to one that now promoted education and conservation.

So, 20 years after the passage of the Salvage Rider, what, ultimately has changed? Certainly, logging volumes have certainly declined from their heyday but logging is s a culture / mindset that’s deeply embedded in the community. According to the County, nearly half of the population is directly or indirectly associated with the timber industry. Just down the block from UW’s offices, the city is updating the downtown area and part of that upgrade includes some public art in the form of small sculptures that resemble log rounds. Roseburg’s city seal even includes the phrase “Timber Capital of the World.” County revenues have taken a significant hit thanks to the reduced volumes of timber harvested. Recently, Douglas County opted to clearcut one of its own county parks in order to make up a budget deficit within their parks department. The county is also preparing to join with 17 other counties to sue the BLM about the reduction in the reimbursement payments.

Fragmented as it is, stands of old growth still exist. Visiting them is not like visiting a national park. There’s no fanfare or anticipation; it consists of traveling along logging roads through large sections of industrial clearcuts and knowing where to park and then crashing through brush in order to reach the stands. It’s not always easy, as I learned firsthand. The BLM road network is immense and can be quite confusing. BLM roads might be federal roads but they often must cross through those private ownership sections and sometimes the private owners have elected to install access gates. I ran into this situation with one of the stands I wanted to visit. The addition of a gate added a 2.2 mile, 1,400′ elevation gate hike just to even reach the location of the stand. Having experienced the situation of being locked behind a gate before, I was very concerned about this happening to me and so I wasn’t able to visit all the sites I had hoped to visit.

East Fork Coquille Timber Sale Unit 108, Coos Bay BLM District
East Fork Coquille Timber Sale Unit 108, Coos Bay BLM District
East Fork Coquille Timber Sale Unit 108, Coos Bay BLM District
I’m glad that I did some pre-planning before my trip because it can be easy to get turned around while visiting these old sale units. I made a series of aerial maps for each of the sites that I was going to visit. Additionally, I used the GAIA GPS app on my iPhone to log GPS tracks while in the field and referred to aerial photos I pre-cached each day before heading out. Most sites are located on hillsides which means either climbing up or down in order to explore the site. Pacific Rhododendron, which is a common understory shrub, creates some challenges for a photographer seeking compositions. They have a tendency to grow 10′ or higher and in thickets so it can be hard to see much else in the forest. To counter this, sometimes I would use a 7′ gimbal to raise my camera to a taller height or hold my tripod in the air like a color guard would do with a flag.

After a day and half of exploring on my own, I finally had my meeting in Roseburg with Francis Eatherington at the Umpqua Watersheds office. Initially, I had only expected to spend 4-5 hours but the depth and wealth of material prompted me to change my plans and I spent the whole day scanning pages. In addition to a floor to ceiling bookcase full of project binders, they also had 2 file cabinets with more files. It wasn’t hard to get sucked into the history; many pages had hand written comments and just bringing up the name of a timber sale would prompt some story or recollection from Francis. Time flew by quickly and soon it was 5pm and Francis had to leave to attend some lands committee meeting.

Before leaving, Francis offered to “guide” me the next day at one of the timber sales and that was a fantastic opportunity which I knew I couldn’t pass up. After Francis left, one of the UW board members suggested we go grab some dinner to talk some more about the region and my mapping project. Over that dinner, he recalled numerous stories of how logging (and the timber industry in general) have impacted the region. Some things, like how clearcutting steep slopes leads to landslides, is fairly obvious but others impacts aren’t so obvious to the untrained eye. For example, I remarked how many streams in the region (not just the Umpqua) ran over bedrock bottoms, devoid of much cobble. As it turns out, in Oregon, you can thank logging for this. One factor was an early practice which loggers would fell trees into streams and let high flows transport the logs. A second factor was a puzzling decision by the State that rock in streams was bad for salmon and so timber sale contracts had stipulations that required the contractor to clear streams of rock. Just crazy.

East Fork Coquille Timber Sale Unit 108, Coos Bay BLM District
East Fork Coquille Timber Sale Unit 108, Coos Bay BLM District
East Fork Coquille Timber Sale Unit 108, Coos Bay BLM District
It was a great day of conversation and I have a lot of admiration for people that continue do work under such adversity.  The next morning I touched base with Francis and made plans to meet and head over to the sale units from the East Fork Coquille timber sale. Located about 25 miles southwest of Roseburg, this was a sale proposed by the BLM but was successfully defeated on appeals. These units are located in the coast range and have stand ages over 300 years old. I did visit a couple of these units after arriving in Roseburg but those were quick, cursory visits.  We eventually decided to visit Unit 108, which is near 50 acres in size. The unit isn’t as steeply sloped as many other units so traversing through the unit wasn’t as bad. That being said, there were still many large thickets of dense Rhododendron that made travel interesting.

The unit has plenty of big trees- Douglas Fir and Western Hemlock. It actually has quite a high concentration of big trees per acre and that’s one of the reasons that UW sought to save these units from the chainsaw. Francis recalled that there was at least one 7′ diameter tree somewhere inside the stand and I’m sure that we passed by it at some point. Our deepest penetration into the unit was a point along the east edge of the unit. The edge outside the unit had experienced some thinning and the big trees extended literally up to and along the unit boundary. Despite blue sunny skies, I didn’t have too bad a day photographing the forest and trees. Overexposure was an issue but I was able to bracket scenes using multiple exposures to capture the range from shadow to sun. We had to head back eventually but it was a really great time out in this unit.

It was now mid afternoon and Francis was willing to take me to another sale somewhat nearby named Dickerson Heights. This time, we encountered a gate right off the highway. It was shut- but wasn’t locked. Nonetheless, I was still skittish about passing through the gate. We called it a day & headed back to Roseburg. Over dinner, Francis suggested a number of options for me to check out the following day (my last full day down in the area). I ended up with a lengthy & ambitious list and the next day I tried to tackle all of it.

East Fork Coquille Timber Sale Unit 108, Coos Bay BLM District
North Umpqua Trail, Umpqua National Forest
North Umpqua Trail, Umpqua National Forest
My first stop was a portion of the North Umpqua Trail in the vicinity of Susan Creek. The trail is a pretty long trail and entry/exit points are separated by somewhat lengthy intervals. As it turns out, a new bridge across the Umpqua was built just a couple years ago which drops you off right into a beautiful stretch of old growth forest. Boy- was Francis right about this one! It had big trees, a nice understory with lots of Oxalis. I could have continued on and explored longer but I had too many other stops to make. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the day, though! The next stop was Toketee Falls which was as beautiful as all the photos I’ve seen. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as inspired photo wise since compositions are extremely limited due to the dangerous nature of visiting the falls (officially, there’s only a small elevated platform).

Near Toketee Falls, was my next stop: the Loafer Timber Sale Units. This sale is actually a fairly recent one (proposed 2011/2012) but threatened some pretty large trees just like the older sales. Accessing these units was a little more difficult because the units I was visited were situated away from existing roads and required bushwhacking in order to gain access. The chances of getting confused and lost were high so I made sure I logged a GPS track. Francis had told me that there was an old road that led into the area of the units but she couldn’t recall how to find it. I tried following what I thought was a slight sign of a road that I spied in an aerial. I wasn’t really convinced that I was actually on the road but, as luck would have it, during a traverse around a nasty Rhododendron thicket, I stumbled onto the old road. There was no doubt about it, especially since it was flagged at regular intervals.

Following the road, I would occasionally stop and check out any flagging that had writing on it. One flag caught my eye. It read: “RVT Possible Trees 280° / 150 ft”. Deciphered, it means “Red Tree Vole habitat trees possible, bearing 280° in 150 feet”. This means big trees are nearby! I hopped of the road in search of the trees being referenced. I should mention that mosquitoes were HORRENDOUS at this location despite no obvious sources of water. I was lathered up with bug juice but it wasn’t helping all that much. It really made it hard to keep going but I did. The further I went into the sale units, the more photogenic the forest became. In addition to the big trees, there was finally a nice understory with Vanilla Leaf, Oregon Oxalis, and Star-Flowered Soloman’s Seal. A person can stand only so much mosquito harassment so I made steady progress back to my truck to keep the day moving.

North Umpqua Trail, Umpqua National Forest

Loafer Timber Sale Unit 35, Umpqua National Forest

Loafer Timber Sale Unit 35, Umpqua National Forest
My next stop was a unit from a contentious sale named Snog. While this sale was logged, there was one unit that was saved. It’s located higher up in the Fish Creek drainage and it came recommended by Francis. All was well until I turned onto the last spur road to the unit. I didn’t know it at the time but this was the first of what would be many roads with windfall to deal with. Someone else had gone through and cleared away the worst blockages but I ended up making the passages wider for my benefit and for others. It ended up taking way too long and I made the tough decision to bail out of this stop.

At 4pm, there were only a couple hours of daylight left and I was planning on visiting Crater Lake for sunset. My attempts to visit some locations between Lemolo Lake and Diamond Lake didn’t pan out due to a lot of windfall that hindered access. I realized that I would be rushing my time anyplace I decided to visit before sunset. I eventually just decided to drive up to the northwest rim of Crater Lake to set up for sunset. This was my first ever visit to Crater Lake and fortunately the north entrance to the park just opened the week before. Despite being open, there was still ample amounts of snow up around the rim. A nice sunset didn’t look too promising a few hours before sunset but things changed favorably closer to actual sunset. I would have enjoyed the nice sunset a little more if not for the constant 30mph winds and 40° temperatures.

For my last morning, I attempted to visit a sale named Diamondback, which was located about 10 miles northwest of Sutherlin. I ended up getting confused/lost while driving to the unit. The area has experienced a recent round of logging (that wasn’t visible in the latest aerial photos) and some new roads were built which I inadvertently turned onto. It wasn’t the greatest way to end a trip but it was an exploratory trip. The Umpqua region is quite beautiful but suffers from a tortured environmental history. Although I went to visit sites from the past, I’ve come to realize that my trip now comes at the right time. Both the BLM and Forest Service are beginning the process of updating their long term management plans. Both agencies (the BLM especially) are under fire to increase logging production thanks to budget shortfalls in the C&O counties.

The Spotted Owl and Marbled Murrelet are still at risk species and their suitable habitat has not expanded. In fact, those same locations are likely to become the target of chainsaws once again. It’s important document what makes them so special, and that’s what I hope my contributions do. There are many, many locations I want to visit and photograph so I have unfinished business down in the Umpqua. This won’t be my only post about the Umpqua moving forward.

Sunset from Merriam Point, Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake Sunset – 6/2/2016 from Steve Cole on Vimeo.

If you’re interested in viewing my web map project of timber sales within the Umpqua basin, you can view that map here.

2015 Retrospective

I almost did not write this post. My 2015 is actually just a “first 6 months of 2015.” Photography is (and remains) a passion but- it is not a “be all, end all.” I ended up taking a sabbatical from photography starting in June to focus on a variety of home repairs/remodeling work that became a high priority for me in my life. The extended break has actually been liberating and refreshing. I also didn’t feel that bad about it because the Pacific Northwest just came off a huge below average winter and right into a drought over the summer. Wildflower season was well over by the time July appeared. I didn’t miss anything.

Anyways, back to this concept/idea of “Best of” or Year in Review blog posts. What’s the point of these things? I won’t go all Guy Tal on you about it but let’s be frank- to a large degree, it’s about a desire for “exposure,” or validation for what we’re doing. Many photographers craft these posts and submit them to be included in Jim Goldstein’s annual “Best of ” compilation. Hell- I’ve done it for a number of years and I’ll admit that initially it was in large part due to the flood of visitation that happens once Jim’s post goes public and is reshared broadly across the internet. The lure of gaining new followers is strong when you’re just beginning to establish yourself. These days, however, I’m not concerned or obsessed with that side of the equation. My photography is what it is. And I’m ok with that.

Meh- now I’m starting to ramble. Anyways, looking back on my year, there’s obviously not a lot to draw from but I am excited that timing and conditions finally came together and allowed me to photograph the Aurora Borealis over the North Cascades (something I’ve tried in vain for years to do) and I also started working on a video project I’ve been thinking about.. So, in no particular order, here are my personal favorites:

1.) Falling Behind – Mount Baker Wilderness

Falling Behind - Mount Baker Wilderness

I shared this photo on 500px when I still had an account but never made it into a blog post. When you can visit this location relatively easily in winter, there’s a problem. Our massive lack of snowfall last winter facilitated access to Boulder Ridge on Mount Baker. This conversion to black & white using Nik’s Silver Efex 2 worked well.

2.) Heybrook Ridge – Skykomish River Valley

Heybrook Ridge - Skykomish River Valley

One spring morning, I was on my way to Leavenworth to photograph the spring wildflowers when I came across these clearing clouds just east of Index, Washington. I was shooting almost into the sun so converting to black & white using Nik’s Silver Efex 2 worked well.

More photos from this trip can be found in my blog post here.

3.) Winter Green – Mount Rainier National Park

Winter Green - Mount Rainier National Park

Every year during the winter I visit Green Lake in Mount Rainier National Park and I always seem to come away with a photo that I love. This one is along the trail just prior to reaching Ranger Falls.

More photos from this trip can be found in my blog post here.

4.) Mount Shuksan & Aurora – Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Mount Shuksan & Aurora - Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

A photo I’ve visualized and wanted for several years. Everything came together just a few days after the summer equinox.

More photos from this trip can be found in my blog post here.

5.) Deep Forest – Clackamas River Wilderness

Deep Forest - Clackamas River Wilderness

A photo from my first visit to a beautiful grove of old growth forest in the upper Clackamas River drainage. I only learned of this place literally two weeks before my trip. I can’t wait to go back.

More photos from this trip can be found in my blog post here.

6.) Salmon River – Salmon River Valley

Salmon River - Salmon River Valley

Visiting the Salmon River during my spring trip south to Mount Hood and the Gorge has quickly become a tradition an mandatory. This day I spent nearly 4 hours along the river and only hiked a mile, at best. It’s just that good.

More photos from this trip can be found in my blog post here.

7.) Picture Lake Stars – Heather Meadows

Picture Lake Stars - Heather Meadows

This is a photo I actually never shared. It was from a failed outing so I never got around to a blog post about it. This is a snow and ice free Picture Lake on a New Moon winter’s night. I loved the reflection of all the stars on the water’s surface. I took this using the new Sigma f1.8 18-35mm lens.

8.) Tye Spring Snow – Tye River Valley

Tye Spring Snow - Tye River Valley

This photo was also taken on my way over the Cascades to Leavenworth this spring. The fresh snow up and down the Tye River valley and hint of blue sky was too good to pass up.

More photos from this trip can be found in my blog post here.

9.) Corydalis Sea – Salmon River Valley

Corydalis Sea - Salmon River Valley

I really love this photo, as well as the challenge to take it, but that isn’t immediately apparent. This sea of Scouler’s Corydalis covers a wide area (each individual plant is about 4-5′ tall and several feet wide). The trail here was slightly above the plants but I had to hand hold my camera’s tripod above me like a color guard member would hold a flag during a procession. A lot of trial and error using the time function on the camera.

More photos from this trip can be found in my blog post here.

10.) Spring Tidings – Leavenworth, Washington

Spring Tidings - Leavenworth, Washington

Spring wildflowers at a quiet spot I know about. Hopefully it stays this way for many years to come..

More photos from this trip can be found in my blog post here.

So there ya have it. 2016 is already here. I don’t know what will happen but I’m really looking forward to getting back to the photography I know and love.

Auroras At Last

Aurora Borealis over Mount Shuksan, North Cascades, Washington State
In some parts of world, a display of the Aurora Borealis is a common occurrence. In the Pacific Northwest, it is not common and requires a fairly substantial solar storm in order to even provide a chance of them appearing. It does happen, however, and I remember my first time ever seeing them one night from my home in Everett. It was a far cry from the photos that you see taken from places in the high latitudes but it was still magical. Photographing them has been my white whale, which is to say that I’ve tried on numerous attempts to photograph them but have typically come up short due to weather or a storm event fizzing out.

Since 2014, the earth has entered an increased cycle of solar activity. For aurora lovers, this has meant more opportunities for viewing and in locations that they normally do not occur. A solar storm two weeks ago brought the Pacific Northwest its latest chance at auroras and the siren song was too enticing to ignore. I was excited because I was sure that this would be *THE* time to photograph. Our region was stuck in a weather rut of clear, sunny weather and the storm was predicted to be significant enough to be seen well south into Oregon.

As the afternoon progressed, storm type clouds were popping up across the mountains and especially in the vicinity of Mount Baker where I was planning to go that evening. A huge thunderhead cloud was firmly parked over Mount Baker and it did not look like it was going to go anywhere. At one point, I resigned myself to the likelihood that this night would be another bust. I kept checking an app on my iPhone named RainAware which provided a looped animation of 1km visible satellite imagery in hopes of seeing anything encouraging. Around 6pm, the clouds parked over Mount Baker appeared to be breaking down. I hated to gamble on a 2+ hour drive only to end in disappointment but I decided to roll the dice. Again…
Late Afternoon cloud cover parked squarely on top of Mount Baker
Aurora Borealis over Mount Shuksan, North Cascades, Washington State
Aurora Borealis over Mount Shuksan, North Cascades, Washington State
Once I headed north on I-5 from Everett, I could see a cloud-free Mount Baker. Very encouraging! Two plus hours later, I arrived at my destination for the night- a spot high above Baker Lake with a clear view directly north towards Mount Shuksan. Although sunset had already come and gone, there still was a bit of ambient light due to my high elevation and wide open skies. I broke out my GoPro Hero 4 to set it up for a night time lapse during my outing and then broke out my camera and my Sigma 18-35 f1.8 lens, which has become my “go to” lens for any night photography.

I had to wait about 40 minutes for nautical twilight and much darker conditions. In the mean time, I would shoot a photo every now and then to check if any auroras would show up. About five minutes before nautical twilight, faint green pillars began showing up on my test photos. The darker the skies got, the brighter the auroras became in my photos. I was so excited. After so many failed outings and missed opportunities, it was finally coming together!

Despite confirmation in my photos, the auroras really weren’t visible to my naked eye. This was a small disappointment but I really couldn’t complain. I kept photographing for over an hour until midnight local time. I had a long drive home and while I really didn’t want to leave, I had to and needed to leave before I was too tired to safely drive home. The vertical pillars and mixed green/purple hues were most active during the first half hour I noticed them but the auroras never quit for the entire time I was photographing them. Needless to say, it was a very happy drive home. Now that I have photographed the, I’m looking forward to their next appearance even more.
Aurora Borealis over Mount Shuksan, North Cascades, Washington State
Aurora Borealis over Mount Shuksan, North Cascades, Washington State
Aurora Borealis over Mount Shuksan, North Cascades, Washington State
Time lapse from the evening with my GoPro Hero 4:

New Video Series: Natural Northwest


You may have noticed that I’ve been posting more videos lately. It’s because I’ve been gradually easing my way into a new project I’ve been thinking about for a little while. My blog has consistently maintained a “travel” style focused on trip report type of posts. I have used my posts to provide a sense of what each location is like as I’ve explored the region. I thought about all the places I have been and realized that having some photos wasn’t good enough. I wanted another way, perhaps a better way of remembering these special places. How could I capture the scenery and instantly immerse myself back into these locations?

The answer was HD video mixed with high quality audio. For the last year or two, I’ve always carried a little GoPro camera to capture time lapse sequences so just recording some additional video sequences with it is no big disruption to what I normally would do. On the audio side, I had to do some research and ultimately decided on picking up a nice portable digital audio recorder (specifically the Zoom H2N). It added a little bit more to the pack but it’s not that big and offers some really great quality audio. I’ve also used it in a variety of weather and so far it’s held up well (note: the unit is NOT weather proof or resistant).

I’m calling my new, ongoing series of videos “Natural Northwest” but what exactly are these videos? Each video will be about five minutes in length (sometimes longer) and consist of an audio “soundscape” (a single recorded source (not multiple clips mixed together), and excluding the sounds of humans to the extent possible) along with a compilation of several video clips. Put together, I hope transport the viewer into the scene, if only for a few minutes. I’m doing this primarily for my own benefit but I hope others will enjoy the videos as well. I have some additional plans for the project but those are on the backplate until Vimeo implements some new features that will support what I have in mind.

I’ve created a new channel over on my Vimeo account for this series and I hope you’ll check in from time to time and leave some comments about the videos. Thanks in advance and I hope you enjoy the videos!

Link: Natural Northwest Video Series by Steve Cole

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