MEDFORD, OREGON August 14, 2020— The Decision Notice for the joint-agency Upper Applegate Watershed Restoration Project has been signed, marking a milestone for the two largest public land management agencies in southern Oregon.
The project, which was initiated as a collaborative effort between the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, the Bureau of Land Management Medford District, and interested community stakeholders, began in 2015 and sought to utilize an all-lands approach that utilized nature’s benefits. The project area encompasses 52,000 acres in the Upper Applegate Watershed, and marked an important milestone for public lands agencies: a true collaboration, from environmental analysis to decisions to implementation. Also paramount to the work was addressing the urgent need for fuels reduction at a larger scale, and the importance of collaborative efforts in landscape management.
Each agency has issued a unique decision, each including a wide variety of actions, including cross-boundary fuels reduction work, recreation work, and pollinator habitat restoration and enhancement. In keeping with the intent of the Applegate Adaptive Management Area, the decision will also allow for adaptive management and collaboration during implementation.
Highlights of the Decision include:
- Up to 100 acres of riparian restoration;
- 1,228 acres of habitat enhancement for Fritillaria gentneri;
- 4,876 acres of prescribed fire work;
- 1,920 of thinning treatments meant to enhance and promote forest health;
- 2,890 acres of thinning in plantations;
- Restoring a short foot trail near McKee Bridge Picnic Area;
- Decommissioning up to 4 miles of unauthorized OHV trails;
- Designating and enhancing 2.5 miles of existing trail for multi-use access;
- Designating 1.8 miles of trail for non-motorized recreation;
- 1,497 acres of oak and hardwood enhancement work; and
- 3,198 acres of pollinator habitat improvement.
To see the Forest Service Decision Notice in its entirety, please visit the RRSNF’s page dedicated to the Upper Applegate Watershed Management Project. To see the BLM Decision Record, please visit the project page on BLM’s ePlanning website.
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