Show a’f By Thomas once-rounde- Forests ' regrow forest close to the peak Officials agree that thousands of acres will probably be left untouched as a scientific study area and tourist attraction Where reseeding is necessary it will most likely be done by air since roads have been obliterated Bob Lewis a member of a Portland Ore US Forest Service rehabilitation task force ed 125-square-m- ile r r - through the ash — without any help from man fr i T -- J?- - — g i the devastated area was originally unlogged protected forest and some of the trees had trunks up to 12 feet thick and were 200 years old Even though thousands of trees appeared flattened but undamaged ash particles were found imbedded several inches into their trunks Forestry officials have just begun talking of plans to reseed the area and are trying to determine how much timber might be still usable The task will be formidable “There’s going to be a few generations of children go by before they see forest again there” says one Forest Service worker who estimates it will take 300 years to old-grow- th ‘ f I 1 Thomas Ryli is a reporter for The Columbian in Vancouver Wash August 10 1980 yj - TiS of - -- P Ms-' f-- Ti 4 xX jS & estimated jm? elk and 6000 deer were killed outright by ash and poisonous gas say some officials The bear cougar and mountain goat popula- - Ms Jt' Grit: Phil : True A young Spokane couple can’t hide their feelings despite their face masks ash-filteri- Washington State Games Department has already outlined a $22 million plan that will put teams of biologists to work around the mound tain and in the eastern of the state parts The agency’s plan will cost $74 million to help rebuild fish runs and ash-coate- $139 tions in the area were hit hard too And an estimated 17 percent of the state’s bee population perished Fish life also was devastated when the lakes and rivers became engulfed with mud Seventy million trout and salmon are thought to have been effect on wiped out The long-terthe fishing industry could be much more drastic says Larry Cassidy State Game Commission chairman who predicts a $20 million loss to the local economy the first year The m figure which includes tourist expenditures could top $117 million over the next 25 years as fish populations t w Residents have begun the long job of shoveling away tons of volcanic debris Yet geologists arent saying St Helens won9t erupt again soon FAMILY WEEKLY '"' ’ I11'" animals paid with their lives when Mount St Helens turned a quiet Sunday morning into a holocaust 5000 - 10-ye- ar 4 ' m notes midlife and Fish: Thousands ’ v: pessimistically “We don’t even know if you can grow anything in the ash” Geologists though have already spotted small plants pushing up An In just one instant the volcanic explosion leveled a billion board feet of prime timber — worth $500 million — in a area on St Helens’ north side In photographs the felled trees with all their greenery blown away look like a heap of matchsticks More than half fan-shap- V-'- Ryll ome scientists call it the greatest natural disaster in the country’s history With a volcanic muscle not demonstrated in 30000 years — and with the strength of a hydrogen bomb — Washington State’s Mount St Helens literally blew its top on May 18 The eruption blasted off 1300 feet d from the mountain’s its summit devastated entire north face and spewed ash boiling mud and pulverized rock for miles When it appeared the worst had passed officials began the monstrous task of calculating the cataclysmic eruption’s effect on human beings forests fisheries crops and the state’s economy Losses were staggering and officials lament that the overall salvage job will take months even years Congress fortunately has provided a relief package of $9511 million Here’s a look at what’s being done right now — and what will be done in the future i - 1 and game rebuild to struggle themselves To nurse the animal and fish populations back to health the million to aid wildlife by in- troducing more elk deer bears cougars and mountain goats into the area Funds will also be used to reseed wildlife feeding areas that were destroyed But it could be months before work crews make their way into the devastated backwoods to begin this work Waterways and Lakes When the eruption was over the Cowlitz and Toutle rivers — tributaries of the Columbia River — were totally clogged with mud and nearly devoid of fish The Columbia was partially clogged Army Corps of Engineers experts estimate that 46 million cubic yards of muck — enough to fill nearly 5 million dump trucks — will have to Farmers suffered severe crop losses but the ash will one day make nearby land more fertile be dredged from the three waterways Congress has granted the $215 million the work will require Shipping to Portland and two other Columbia River ports was strangled for several days until a channel could be opened But it will be late September before the Columbia’s channel will be cut back to its former depth of 40 feet and width of 600 feet Flooding remains the main danger along the Toutle and Cowlitz The waterways are running at or near-floo-d stages Corps experts report It appears the cleanup effort will be a race with time as work must be completed before heavy fall runoffs If not warns Corps official Donald E Lawyer four southwest Washington cities — with 60000 residents — could be flooded With no guarantee that the mountain won’t erupt again Corps engineers have proposed building two rock dams on the Toutle River between the mountain and those Washington cities to contain further debris arid mud No plans have yet been made to rebuild the three lakes in “ground silt-chok- ed zero” — including scenic Spirit Lake — that all but disappeared after the eruption and the 25 others that were heavily damaged by thick coats of gray ash (continued) |