So a Hampton is a family-owned company and they have been in Oregon for 75 years
Hamptons long-term vision is to first follow the rules follow the laws and then some it's important to the people that I work for and
The people I work with and me, too
That we provide the most protection we can to the stream whether it's shade for fish whether it's long term woody debris
That we're doing what the biologists tell us that the ecosystem needs for the long term health of their appearing area and the stream
This property is a long-term property for Hampton
And it's planned to stay in the family
And so it's a it's a very valuable piece that we want to manage for the long-term
I think that the Forest Practices Act one of the strengths is that it does
provide options for the landowner
It's not just that you have to leave a set distance in the riparian management areas
and stay out of them that it allows the operator in the landowner to make decisions on the ground about what
they choose to do and how they choose to do it how it'll set it up to better the habitat along the stream for the future
So hardwood conversion harvest is where you're removing hardwood from the stream buffer and the idea behind that is that
Hardwood does not provide as much shade as a conifer
Dominated stand would and so by removing the hardwood
We can replace it with conifer to provide greater shade in the future for that stream
So when we're choosing an operator for an operation like this
We're looking for an operator that has a long history of
Excellent work quality and that has the experience and knowledge that. We have a great working relationship
That's very important, especially on operations like this where you have more difficult harvesting
I've worked in the woods for 46 years. I expect a job. Well done. I
Expect people to work hard hustle and do a good job a job. They're proud of
Something I learned from my dad
Before any work was done. We all understood what was on the ground and what was to be expected
We've done pre site meetings. We talked about it
We have a safety meeting we talked about what we're gonna do how we're gonna log this unit
Wow, this this is complicated. How are we gonna fall these trees here not get them into the RMA
where are we gonna bring these trees to process and
Work up and not deliver any sort of sediment to the stream
So the use of technology really allows us to ensure
That we're we're following the Forest Practices Act
One of the great tools with lidar is is to be able to see stream channels and to be able to identify where streams are
prior to fieldwork and identify unstable slopes or other consideration lidar is
Almost indispensable for that.
We need to tread lightly around the streams in Clatsop County
There's just about a stream and every logging job
We need to be alert to make sure that we're not getting any sediment in the stream
Well by doing this during the dry season we didn't have that risk or worry about having sedimentation reach the live stream and
Anytime we have sediment and reaches a live stream
It has a negative impact on the fish and the other aquatic life
You know, A lot of people look at well the loggers. They just destroy everything. No. No, we're environmentalist
Also, they live here. They work here. They hunt here
They really do care about the land and the job they leave behind
they were working in places very close to the stream and in the stream buffers and
doing that work is very sensitive and they were able to do it very well and we're able to leave the
Leave trees in the stream buffers in very good shape
And not not damage the buffers at all.
We try not to take any corridor trees, we try to work through the RMZ and protect the buffer keep it in one piece and
Keep the sediment out of the creek
They have large ground-based operating machinery that's track mounted and that allows them to be able to
Handle the wood from and pass it from place to place rather than drag the wood and you can see that in the post harvest
Portions of this operation you can't even tell where they've been.
Jay Browning matter exceeded all my expectations on that. He really went above and beyond.
I think a logger has to believe in the Forest Practices Act that it's good for
The waters of the state good for the ground good for the animals
The whole idea is just to protect the environment
I talked to a couple of commercial fishermen one day and they said thank you for the job. Well done
We're seeing fish come back