Charred hillsides are set to green up next week

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November 05, 2009

By Mark Freeman

Mail Tribune

Some Rogue Valley foothills blackened by two September wildfires should be sprouting green some time next week.

Almost 300 acres of the Deer Ridge fire along the slopes of Roxy Ann Peak and the Siskiyou fire northwest of Ashland were seeded with a mix of native grass seeds under a project to stabilize the slopes, hold back noxious weeds and curb erosion during winter storms.

The area also is considered important winter range for migratory black-tailed deer in Jackson County.

Though the seed was dispersed on about 10 parcels of private land last week, the project received funding Wednesday when the state Access and Habitat Board approved $6,283 during an emergency teleconference.

The Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District also has kicked in $13,773 for the joint project, said Matt Keenan, coordinator of the Access and Habitat Program for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

"At the temperatures we've seen, it should take the grass about two weeks to germinate," says Vince Oredson, an ODFW habitat biologist. "That means the grasses should start sprouting next week."

On Sept. 21, the Deer Ridge fire burned through 633 acres, while the Siskiyou fire charred 190 acres.

Much of the burn area was on slopes where exposed soil can erode in winter storms, Oredson says.

Under an ODFW program, the state offers a native forage-seed mix for planting, Keenan says. The mix is 40 percent annual rye grass, 25 percent subterranean clover, 10 percent orchard grass. The rest a mix of four other grasses, Keenan says.

About half the seed was given to landowners for dispersal, and a contractor spread the rest, Oredson says.

The Access and Habitat Board voted on its portion of the cost through an emergency program established in 2002.

"It's such an emergency that you need to get this stuff on the ground immediately," Keenan says. "Now it's time to pay the bill."

The money comes from a $2 surcharge on Oregon hunting licenses.

Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail at mfreeman@mailtribune.com.

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