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Show Page 7 Ilif August 11, 2004 State Forester responds to public concerns about forest conditions Brothers complete motorcycle trio throuah Alaska Mike and Hubert Royce mocompleted their torcycle trip to Alaska on Augu.--t 2 The trip took them 19-da- y through Idaho, Montana. Alberta. British Columbia and the Yukon Territory of of life in th.U part of Ala-- k i I'pon their return. they were immediately invited to join Lee Fowke-- . Jerrv Man gel.-o-n and wives fur an- trip toGla- the Canadian of Montana, othe r mature vile u.r Park an 1 hoarder are i hut the two weary travelers dee line d f r. ' V L... 1 t ' iTvSU assistance from our federal government, said Walker. Utahs farmers and ranchers are experiencing some of the driest conditions on record, and help is desperately needed. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman, Walker seeks assistance to provide relief for the hundreds of farmers and ranchers who face substantial an 1 wrong with the r- fur-- p 1 hi- t ju-- jt a cj-- e of itt t tree.-- dying: thi- - - a ca-- i of -- a k, unhealthy, dy ing fun - throughout the tate TE re aie lit ra!l thou-and-hre- - of gray, dead tree-- , ar f thou -- and.- of acres of red. of -- wor-- e Fori t hi alth - a ery nq heated iue. there are -- ci n. iny i- factor-i- n contributing the di tt riorating health 0! Utah - fme-t- s. Utah has bun in a drought, b it drought part of the ibli m Drought mt- - - an 1 a lditmn il tres.- to already unhealthy fore.--t condition-Oof the main stre factorial a sub-- i quint cause for the e dead and dy mg tree is that we hae too many trees - ni my it peat at rial photographic tudits show The tru- - aie too close together, which their growth mil mates competition between trees for the limited water supply and sunlight: this places significant stress on the trees and makes them to attack by moie and t Manv of the affected area- - have been excluded fimn the natural fire cycle Our the pa- -t century of fire oppression, the tree.- - have ixpt iienced little natural bance and have continued to grow and reproduce, die. fall over, and create fuel loading" on the forest floor Many ton.-- of tands contain fuel per acie Wlun a wildfire start.-- in these aie.is, there mav be situation- - and conditions under which agencies can let it burn, allowing the fire to thin the forest and recycle nutrient--. However, with the development m wildland-urbaintei face areas and the forest condition, it is often too dangerous (as well as costly) to let fires bui n With our drought conditions, the dead and dow n fuel adds to the intensity of the fire Wild six-ye- a- -- nt -- a- -- Mike Royie and Robert Royt e enjm tnn a break in Alaska ri-tr- di-ea- -e. m-e- ct for-t-- -- di--t- ui On the road m Alaska e-tific g n crop loss due to drought and record cricket and grasshop- per infestation The estimated financial loss of crop and forage value to Utah farmers and ranchers totals $133 million This represents about 30 percent of the historic value of these commodities, Utah Commissioner 10-5- -- drought disaster Utah remains one of the - n- "Wft it ted dying trees throughout the state, and its Governor Walker declares hardest hit states by this prolonged drought, and I am asking for immediate at a g Uing salmon, dolphins and a view state. ur tfut- - receive a lot of and litter- - from Utah -t- the constant riding. From the deck of the ship, the two travelers saw w'hales, seals, Gov. Olene Walker has issued an Agricultural Drought Disaster Declaration for the state of Utah. The declaration follows six consecutive years of below average rain fall and a projected $133 million negative impact on Utahs agricultural economy this year. The governor is also calling for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to declare a national Agricultural Disaster for qualifying counties in the - -n Bellingham, Washington. The two brothers unloaded in Washington and traveled on back roads to Utah. The total was 6,800 miles. The miles covered by motorcycle were 5,400. The most miles in one day was 560, although the toughest day was 160 miles on bad roads in the rain. The length of the trip, the area covered and the mode of transportation made for mile after mile, day after day of spectacular scenery and grand vistas. The older machines ran w ell with little or no trouble, due to the support given by Garretts Honda of Nephi. Difficulties included bears, moose and other wildlife on the road, rain, road construction and the remoteness of services. The duration of the trip was shortened by the unexpected schedule of the ferryboat. That part of the trip was a welcome break from ea i Canada. Then on to Anchorage, Alaska, via the Alcan Highway. Once their goal w as reached they proceeded to Haines, boarded the Alaska Marine Highway ferry boat for 1,400 miles down the inside passage of Southeast Alaska to The remaining eight counties also suffer from drought conditions and are worthy of inclusion in a disaster declaration are burning butter an than anything web ive flw pa-- t txptrit nttd in- the 'imm-ter hundred year- The fire-- " we are now ixpi notica great po-- e ing in the threat to life, property, and Then, our natural m- - occur, when thundi erosion results in the lo of valuable soil - the lifeblood of our fire- - 1 Wt-.-- t u- oi exi-te- Forest mnnugenu nt i.-- really a balancing ai t of thri e critu al need- - (U we have adequate u getation to protect th it the soil- - from rain-torvalue-- ( damage down-treaEn-uri- ng m remember Farmington and we Santaquin), (2) dont have fuel loading from too milch vegt tation ibionia we have and (3) hi althy. productive vegetation for multiple values. Many of Utahs vegetation tv pi - are unproductive and take away th potential to yield water to .he di pendent below A- - the second di le.--t state in the nation w ith a growing population, Utah ha- - an extra special need for healthv, productive foie-te- d En-un- ng t En-uri- ng u-- es watiTshed- If we had to give fore- -t health in Utah a measurable grade, what would it be9 In certain place-- , we are failing Only with concentrated effort and a couple hundred it The year- - can we untrained eve mav not see it evidc nceof but there re-to- re infestation and plaguing seemingly healthv fore.-t-.l'nle- - theie is a dramatic turnaround, within a few years the plight of the-- e forests will be unmistakable do and Fires, boundarnot property m-e- -e ct di-ea- m-e- cts re-p- eit ies All ownership- - - federal, state and private - aie af- fected If we want to enhance Utahs recreational opportu- nities for dying and dead fore-t- s will surely not be an attraction Moreover, dy ing and dead trees prov ide very little benefit for our needs Dead trees produce no oxygen. Burning trees affect our air quality. Dying and dead trees also place an is. 1 for on-it- e We m-t-u- down-trea- m are htting emotion and the concept of pristine over forests take pn the reality that there are too many tree-- , too much fuel loading, and too manv acTree-ar- e companying problem- not immortal all die. ooncr or later But trees ferc-nc- e -- are a renewable the tries them-elv- e- may not live forever, but healthy fore-t- s c.in if j roperlv managed. Tree- - are renewable, sustainable, recyclable, and biodegradable There - no capitali-ti- c ploy to turn over the forests to corporate greed In fact, w ith of the the help and a Fore-t- s Healthy Act. there are now opportunities to start mitigating our problem- - through stewardi.- ship practice-- , utilizing a for our renewable ce benefit, and by putting people the back to woik. But unit public commit- - to supporting healthv and sustainable the future of our forests and especially the water supply will be dim The blame doesnt belong foresteto the been have r- they left out of the equation for too long, and the result is obvious If we are to get our fme-t- s back to better health, we need to implement the silvicultural practices that can i our fore-t- s to healthy productive w atershed- - for all the people Foresters recognize this need, but as more forests turn from green to red, and from red to gray (or to black from fire) we will really hear a hen our livepublic outcry lihood is affected by the water supply in terms of quality and quantity, it will be too late to make a difference Changes in policies and action are needed to get Americas and pai ticularly Utahs forests healthy again Its the price we must pay, as the present situation has eliminated other alternatives. for-e-t- s, profe-.-ion- al ba-ica- lly A Agriculture and Food, Cary G. Peterson, reports that extreme drought conditions exist in 21 of the states 29 counties and that irrigation reservoir levels statewide are well below normal, some are experiencing levels that are virtually non-existe- Such conditions have qualified the state for special livestock feed assistance in the form of the Non-fa- t Dry Milk Program offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The 21 counties that qualify for primary drought disaster designation are Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Washington, and Wayne. Postcards dif- ficult shot on hole 5, using a driver from 152 yards. This feat was witnessed by Tren McPherson and Kyler Jones. Kids Korner Preschool Accepting enrollment For 2004-0- 5 School Year and Preschooi classes Learning Centers, Sente imwtopss Fax SNotaiy the Canyon Hills Golf Course last week. He made the Note Cards 4 Brandon Smith, son of Shane and Ronica Smith, made his first Hole in One at Psrtotesl e summers B Paper TUymm Bostacess Cards Personalized Calendars Lcttcrhcfld Packaging Supplies Kindergarten Readiness, Childrens Literature, Life Skills and more... For more information contact: Jennifer Rowley 623-102- 3 4 1 ni damage, wattr-hi-- d and pock-- of golf course Activities Include: n-- k on our book, fur suppri'-io- n increa-i- d fi-t- ir Smith makes Hole in One at Pre-- K Nephi, Utah iTimcs-NrUt- s k |