The Oregonian
January 30, 1998
Preliminary results show forested land tends to be more stable, but steepness and rain also are key factors
By Jonathon Brinkman of The Oregonian staff
The state of Oregon has calculated for the first time that clear-cutting increases the chance of landslides, a finding that raises concern in a logging industry already beset by government constraints.
The study follows massive rainstorms in 1996 that triggered tens of thousands of landslides across the state, some of them lethal. Slides emanating from clear-cuts killed five people and destroyed at least a dozen homes.
Now state officials are considering tightening logging rules, to increase the public's safety and to protect salmon that spawn in streams that can be damaged by logging practices.
The study, outlined Thursday in Portland, was begun by the state Department of Forestry after the February 1996 storms. It was expanded after a November 1996 storm caused more damage. Results of the $370,000 study, which will not be made final until late this year, will be used by a special panel convened by Gov. John Kitzhaber to recommend changes to Oregon logging rules.
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