The Glaze Meadow project is meant to serve as a model for how our forests should be managed, especially in the urban interface zone. The purpose of the project is to reduce fire risk to a nearby residential area while at the same time attempting to restore the forest to a condition more nearly like it was before the era of logging. 

Glaze Meadow is also known as the Black Butte Fuels & Restoration Project. The proposed project is to conduct fuels reduction in Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Community Zone in Ponderosa Pine forest, aspen forest and meadow habitat to promote more fire resistant conditions and restore proper ecological function.  The entire area is public land on the Sisters Ranger District (RD) of the Deschutes National Forest in an official Deschutes National Forest Plan old growth allocation.  Actions would maintain and promote fire resistant large tree components and restore natural ecological functions. 

The location of the approximately 780 acre planning area adjoins a one-mile long eastern boundary of the Black Butte Ranch Resort housing subdivision.  The area includes Glaze Meadow adjacent to Indian Ford Creek 4 ½ miles NW of Sisters Oregon.  The area is identified as medium to medium-high fire risk and adjacent to high fire risk subdivision lands with nearly 200 existing houses within ¼ mile of the common boundary of Black Butte Ranch private land subdivisions and Deschutes National Forest public lands. 

The proposed treatments of the project will thin from below dense stands of young trees that have grown in due to historic fire suppression and logging, reduce overall fuel load in the forest, and restore natural ecological function.  Some thinning of young trees will occur in old growth and medium aged ponderosa pine stands in order to reduce fire threat to mature fire resistant trees.  Other activities will include thinning and restoration of Aspen and Lodgepole pine stands, mowing of understory brush and small trees where appropriate, slash treatment, prescribed burning of the area, and removal of unneeded fences.  Small “leave areas” will be designated for diversity and wildlife needs.  Deer and elk habitat needs will be a priority part of the project. 

Ecologically based management actions will produce outcome byproducts that will produce saleable biomass fiber (chips) and saw logs on approximately 560 acres that would help offset costs.  This should produce jobs and economic benefits for local and regional economies.  Existing roads and “skid trails” would facilitate thinning and other treatments. 

The goals of this project would help reduce fire risk to the Black Butte Ranch community and some benefits to nearby housing developments like Tollgate, Cascade Meadows, and Indian Ford.  Appropriate proactive management would promote fire resiliency in existing designated old growth and promote development of fire resistant large old growth trees in younger stands.  

Project would also promote fire resiliency and restore decaying aspen stands to proper ecological function and increase quality habitat for birds and wildlife.  Removal of unneeded fences would help wildlife and recreationists.  Appropriate prescribed burning would reduce fuel loads and start the process of proper ecological function in all habitat types, including meadows. 

Oregon Wild and Warm Springs were the initial proponents of this project.  The Juniper Group Sierra Club was brought into the fold early in the game and The East Cascades Audubon Society also is part of the on-going process. 

The East Cascades Audubon Society has contracted with Oregon Wild to perform two bird related activities.  First, they have developed area search protocols that are designed to sample bird populations before any treatment activities occur and compare them to data that will be collected post-treatment.  This project is already in progress.  Second, they have agreed to develop a species checklist for this location to be made available to future land users. 

This is an opportunity to promote collaboration process of varied interest groups for “on the ground” proactive management to reduce fire risk in a Wildland Urban Interface/Community Zone and in a Deschutes National Forest Plan designated old growth area.  Opportunity to restore natural ecological function.  Opportunity to publicize a potential “success story” of appropriate proactive management for fire prone eastside old growth forests.  Opportunity to “showcase” cooperative management. 

The background of the area has past and ongoing management activities on all acres.  Approximately 320 acres of the forested area was formerly private land and logged in the 1930s, resulting in fully stocked young-medium aged stands.   The Forest Service acquired these 320 acres in 1940.  70-90 years of intense fire suppression has altered the landscape with dense stands of young tree and brush ingrowths in the old growth and aspen areas, which increased fire risk and excessive competition between dense young growth and larger fire resistant trees.  The area currently is a non-motorized use recreation area.  The area includes sensitive plant species such as Peck’s Penstamon. 

Of the approximately 800 acre planning area, current conditions are approximately as follows: 90-100 acres old growth ponderosa pine forest; 470 acres young-medium aged ponderosa pine; 61 acres Aspen/Lodgepole pine and 150 acres meadow.