The City of Corvallis Public Works Department is hosting an open house on Monday, April 6 to share a draft stewardship plan for the Corvallis Forest. Folks will have 30 days after to submit public comments.
The Corvallis Forest is located approximately 16 miles west of Corvallis off Highway 34 on Marys Peak. It consists of 2352 acres that are part of the larger 10,000 acres that comprise the Rock Creek Watershed. The bulk of that acreage is managed by the United States Forest Service, or USFS, as part of the Siuslaw National Forest, rather than by the City.
The forest stewardship plan being evaluated by the City has to do with acreage it manages.
Just a little history
Before we move on, just a little history. The City began purchasing properties in the Watershed in the early 1900’s and has been using it as a source of drinking water supply since that time. In 1920, the City of Corvallis convinced the USFS to purchase the remainder of the land in the Marys Peak drainage, and Congress declared it a municipal watershed and closed to the public for the protection of the water supply.
Other uses of the Corvallis Forest have included timber harvesting, and it has also been used frequently by local schools and colleges, fish and wildlife researches, and the USFS for studies. A closed forest can help researchers needing to do controlled studies in forestry, hydrology, botany and other disciplines which need areas or subjects protected from outside interference.
The Corvallis City Council adopted a Corvallis Forest Stewardship Plan on December 18, 2006 and adopted an updated plan on July 1, 2013.
Why the updated plan is important
The Corvallis Forest includes the Rock Creek Water Treatment Plant, which produces up to 30 percent of the City’s total water production annually.
The overall goal according to the City of Corvallis is to work with its watershed partners so it will continue to provide a reliable source of high-quality drinking water that surpasses all State and Federal drinking water requirements.
What’s next
The updated Forest Stewardship Plan is available for public review and comment. To support this, the City is hosting an open house from 5 to 7 pm on Monday, April 6, at the Corvallis Public Library, 645 NW Monroe Ave.
An online platform featuring the same materials will launch on April 6 on the project webpage (corvallisoregon.gov/cfsp) and will accept comments for 30 days. After that, the plan will go to the City Council for adoption, probably over the summer.
“The updated Corvallis Forest Stewardship Plan reflects years of collaboration and careful thought about how we manage this community asset,” said David Gilbey, Environmental Services & Regulatory Affairs Supervisor for the City of Corvallis. “The Corvallis Forest protects our drinking water and supports habitat. This draft plan helps ensure we continue managing the forest in a way that protects these values for generations to come.”
What to Expect at the Open House
The upcoming open house will be a drop-in style event with information displays, as well as City staff and members of the Task Force who can speak to:
- The key elements of the draft plan
- The City’s forest management approach and planning process
- What’s in the forest today and what the City is working to improve
- Management strategies for the next decade
- How the City uses data to make sure it is using the right management approach
Learn more about the Corvallis Forest Stewardship Plan at corvallisoregon.gov/cfsp.
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