Klamath-Siskiyou Keystone Forest

KEYSTONE FORESTS Maine Woods Keystone Forest Blue Ridge-Appalachia Keystone Forest Florida Panhandle Keystone Forest Upper Great Lakes Keystone Forest Northwest Rockies Keystone Forest Mogollon Keystone Forest Sierra Keystone Forest Klamath-Siskiyou Keystone Forest Pacific Northwest Volcanic Keystone Forest North Cascades Keystone Forest Alaskan Coastal Temperate Keystone Forest

The Klamath-Siskiyou Keystone Forest is a mixed conifer temperate forest that includes up to 40 species of conifers, the highest concentration in North America. Douglas fir is the dominant conifer. The forest also includes several long-lived species of pine and fir and endemic tree species such as Port Orford cedar and Brewer’s spruce. The Klamath-Siskiyou has 3,500 plant types, 220 of them found nowhere else in the world. There are also wilderness areas large enough to support the mountain lion, black bear, several species of Pacific salmon, the tailed frog and various carnivores such as the Pacific fisher, pine marten, mountain lion and wolverine. Endangered species include the Northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet, bald eagle and coho salmon.

Three main river systems define the region: the Umpqua and the Rogue in the north and the Klamath in the south, with many large tributaries and coastal rivers adding to the mix. The Rogue, Illinois and Trinity Rivers are among those that give the Klamath-Siskiyou the largest concentration of Wild and Scenic Rivers in the United States. In these rivers are four imperiled fish species: the lost river sucker, the shortnose sucker and the commercially valuable Northern California coho salmon and steelhead trout. The area also provides excellent drinking water for local communities and offers worldclass fishing, hunting, boating, rafting, climbing and hiking opportunities. Non-timber resources such as mushrooms, cedar boughs and fisheries contribute significant revenue to local communities.

Threats
Commercial logging, primarily of old growth, by the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service and private industrial land owners is a huge threat to this keystone forest. Federal logging operations, such as the Biscuit Salvage, are among the largest in the nation and typically include inappropriate responses to fire such as logging fire - resistant trees before, during and after fires. Mining is also a severe threat to this forest. The antiquated 1872 Mining Law allows miners to bulldoze and suction-dredge prime salmon spawning habitat, degrade river banks, pollute sensitive areas and even privatize public lands. In addition, a non-native root disease is killing entire populations of the endemic Port Orford cedar (considered the most endangered forest tree species in North America). Off-road vehicles are another menace, damaging sensitive plant communities, wildlife habitat and riparian areas through erosion, soil compaction, noise and pollution. Cattle grazing harms stream sides where cows congregate, often in high elevation roadless and wilderness areas in the last summer months.

Efforts to Increase Protected Areas
The proposed California Wild Heritage Act (S.1555) would expand several wilderness areas in the southern extent of this keystone forest. Also included in this bill are proposed Wilderness Study Areas, as well as Salmon Restoration Areas. A coalition of groups has also proposed the Siskiyou Wild Rivers Area for protection. This area encompasses one million acres that includes all or portions of the Siskiyou National Forest and the BLM Medford District. The coalition is seeking a combination of increased wilderness areas adjacent to the Kalmiopsis, additions to National Research Areas and Wild and Scenic Rivers and restoration zones which will also help protect the ecological integrity of the wildest, most intact forest left on the Pacific Coast.

Written by Joseph Vaile
KS Wild
www.kswild.org

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