Several small projects planned

MCKENZIE BRIDGE: The McKenzie River Ranger District has a number of projects up for consideration for the future, ranging from work along Deer Creek to improvements at the Clear Lake Resort.

At Deer Creek the project calls for re-routing the McKenzie River Trail out of the floodplain, using the 761-spur road and a installing new hiking bridge over the McKenzie River. It would also involve placement of boulders in strategic locations to protect riparian/wetland resources and limit vehicle access.

Along Forest Service Roads 1501 and 1500104 south of the Blue River Reservoir, the district is proposing to restore up to 88 acres of Oregon White Oak meadows affected by the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire.

Some thinning operations are part of plans for the Buckeye and Chuckee areas. At Buckeye, treatments would include 63 acres of commercial thinning, seven acres of gaps and 30 acres of skip. The Chuckee project calls for treating 71 acres located in two stands that are approximately 42 years old. Treatments there would include 58 acres of commercial thinning, six acres of gaps and seven acres of untreated land.

Precommercial thinning is proposed in approximately 127 acres of other young managed stands, with a 15’ x 15’ spacing of trees that are less than 6” in diameter. All conifer species will be considered for cut or leave species - except western white pine, sugar pine and Pacific yew.

Over at Taylor and North Bank Roads a hazardous fuels reduction treatment project would cover a 225-acre area. The work would be broken into four units. Work there would include four types of treatments: cut/chip, cut/lop and scatter/underburn, cut/pile/burn, and cut/pile/burn/underburn.

On a different note is a proposal by the McKenzie River Chamber of Commerce to build a Welcome sign along Highway 126 to promote tourism. It’s planned to be placed on the west side of Hwy. 126, approximately 1/3 of a mile south from the intersection with Highway 20,

At Clear Lake work would involve building an 803 sq. ft. cabin to replace an unsafe one that was demolished recently due to its unsafe, structural condition.