The Forest Service is serious about closing trails, such as this signage at Eagle Creek trail.
Article and photos by Jurgen Hess.
“Some trails, like the Eagle Creek Trail are so dangerous we won’t send our employees in to check them out until conditions stabilize,” said Stan Hinatsu, Forest Service Scenic Area Recreation Staff Officer.
“We saved the icons like Multnomah Lodge,” said Multnomah County Sheriff Michael Reese.
But understandably there is a feeling of loss; some people saying the Gorge will never be the same. When catastrophe’s like a major wildfire hit a treasured area we need to see the loss with a long term perspective.
Eagle Creek Fire: Time and History
Creation of forests is inextricably related to fire. On average in moist westside forests, major fires occur every 200 years or so. Old burn scars are visible on old growth Douglas firs. Comparatively in dry eastside forests, the fire cycle is every 15-20 years. The Eagle Creek Fire burned in what is considered a westside forest.
Middle 1800s Gorge photographs show a landscape with evidence of large fires: burnt snags, open ridges having grass or very small trees. This same pattern is visible in panoramic fire lookout photos from the 1930s, e.g. Nesmith Point 1933 panorama. Even the first land classification mapping done of the Gorge in 1901 by H.D. Langille for the Cascade Range Forest Reserve (later named Mt. Hood National Forest) identified large areas of ‘Burned Forests’ on the slopes above Eagle Creek and Ruckel Creek.
Nesmith Point lookout 1933 panoramic photo. Foreground with dead trees from fire with new trees coming in underneath them.
But recent years haven’t seen large Gorge fires. An exception was the 1991 Falls Fire which burned 1,660 acres adjacent to Multnomah Falls. By 2017 prior to the Eagle Creek Fire most of the old burned areas had grown up with young trees.
High severity burn on ridges and steep slopes. View from I-84.
The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team created a Soil Burn Severity map. Soil burn severity is an indication of soil’s ability to regenerate vegetation. The map shows that much of the High Severity burn areas are on steep slopes and ridgetops returning these areas to their historically open condition. These burnt ridges are visible from I-84.
Fifty five percent of the fire is inventoried as Low Severity including much of the lower elevation burned areas. While some trees will die in these areas, many of the larger burned trees will survive. The fire has created a mosaic of burned and unburned areas that harkens back to historic patterns. On a recent review trip to the fire, Fire Public Affairs Officer Allen Lebovitz (normal job Aquatics Restorationist with Washington DNR) said, “This fire has let natural cycles play out. It’s an opportunity to explain those processes to the public.”
Burned and unburned mosaic. Low severity burn on slopes with high severity spot on upper right ridgeline.
BAER Team Findings
At a media tour the team explained their conclusions. The team was made up of natural resource, recreation and history specialists. Team leader Liz Schnackenberg emphasized that while the fire is no longer a danger; it is not out and probably won’t be until snow comes.
BAER team geologist Ryan Cole explains slide potential to media at Oneonta Gorge. The Forest Service required everyone to wear protective fire clothing in the closed fire area.
“There will be some high risk areas where small or large landslides could happen, especially during high rainfall events,” said geologist Ryan Cole. This could be similar to the 1996 Dodson slide that started on high ridges and traveled across I-84. “Some areas will need to stay closed for some time until the Forest Service does risk assessments,” Ryan said. USGS predicted the highest risk of debris flows in Eagle, Tanner, Moffett, McCord, Horsetail and Oneonta drainages.
“In High Burn Severity areas the glue in the form of moss that holds soil particles together has been lost,” said soil scientist Cara Farr. It will take time for litter and organic matter to return. Over 1,000 hazard trees have been ground into mulch by ODOT and will be spread on roadsides to slow down erosion.
“Short term there could be sedimentation in streams impacting fish habitat,” said J.D. Jones, team fish biologist. “But long term the fire will be beneficial because burned trees will fall into streams providing habitat.” Anadromous fish were observed spawning in Eagle Creek.
Native fishers Ian Tohet and Crystal Danzuka at Wyeth In-Lieu site gathering their nets at season?s end.
Team archeologist Paul Claeyssens said, “The fire hit during an important Native American fishing season. Coho and chinook are coming up the Columbia River system and Indian fishers needed to tend their nets.” During the fires easterly spread, the Wyeth In-lieu BIA fishing site was closed and people had to evacuate. “The closure impacted us during the height of our fishing season,” said Native fisher Ian Tohet who fishes out of Wyeth.
Current Scenic Area Management
As management transitions back to the local Forest Service Scenic Area staff in Hood River big questions are when can the public hike and when will Multnomah Falls reopen? Scenic Area Public Affairs Staff Officer Rachel Pawlitz said the fire area is still closed to public entry for safety reasons with closure notices posted on trails and sites. Trespassers in closed areas were initially given warnings. “Giving warnings to people caught in closed areas is not working; officers are now issuing citations with fines,” she said.
Scenic Area Recreation Staff Officer Stan Hinatsu said the Forest Service is assessing trails as to:
- the probability of something like a landslide or a tree falling on the trail
- the consequences to public safety if that happens
- mitigation measures for public safety.
Not only could people be struck by these hazards but they could be trapped up a trail by a landslide and not be able to get out. He said some areas will need to go through several cycles of rain, freezing and thawing to stabilize. Forest Service staff has created a new sign and will post it on closed trails and sites.
Rachel Pawlitz at Oneonta Gorge. Burned tunnel had just been restored by ODOT.
Multnomah Falls has active rock-fall areas behind the lodge that need sturdy fencing to protect people. The fencing is a high priority to get the Lodge open quickly.
Other sites such as Oneonta Gorge are in a High Severity Burn area and may or may not reopen depending on assessments. Hinatsu said to check the Forest Service/Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area website for the best information. In closing Hinatsu stated, “We will do our best to open areas as soon as we can, but our highest priority is public safety.”
Support EnviroGorge
As you detail the historic place fires have had in this ecosystem, how do you address attempts to make the Eagle Creek fire an exception because it was not naturally caused? Rather it was set by humans. This has been used over and over as justification for mitigation, or salvage logging.
Hi, Jenny. Jurgen wants to give your question some thought. Let us get back to you.
That mainly affects the fire interval, but its impacts on the natural system are essentially the same.
Rachel, we’re not sure what you mean. Would you explain what you’re referencing.
Jurgen
The “fire interval” is the amount of time — could be years, decades, or centuries — between wildfires. It’s possible to scientifically study the historic and prehistoric record to understand how frequently certain forests burned (i.e. East Cascades versus West Cascades). This is useful for understanding what type of fire frequency the plants and animals in any given type of forest ecosystem have adapted to. In the West Cascades, which is climatically very wet, the return interval tends to be on the scale of 100 – 400 years. Yet, it is also a fairly well known fact (among scientists) that this means the “fuel load” builds up and creates “catastrophic” wildfires — in the sense of very hot fires that can burn large stands of trees rather than the type of fire that one would see in a dry forest or savanna ecosystem (sparse forests large open areas and grasses/wildflowers in between). Drier forests tend to burn more frequently and stay close the ground and less hot, keeping them out of the tree canopy (a type of burn called an “underburn”).
In thinking about Eagle Creek Fire, a fire of this magnitude could have started by (dry) lightning naturally, even though in this case it was ignited by a human. The results on the ground would have been very similar if not identical, in that this was a drought year with “tinderbox” conditions. Even a natural fire could have spread quickly with wind conditions such as we saw on September 4-5. The resulting burn “mosaic” (a patchwork of severely burned, moderately burned, and lightly or unburned areas) would likely have looked the same. Tree and wildlife mortality would likely have been the same. That said, the “good news” about this being a phenomenon that can happen naturally is that plants and animals have natural processes to regenerate…would love to work more with EnviroGorge on explaining what those regeneration processes are.
Rachel, very good analysis of fire ecology and fire intervals for wet westside forests. You are right it doesn’t matter, on the ground, whether it was human caused or natural ignition–the resulting patterns would be the same. Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
Jurgen
I was born in Hood River and have lived here my whole life. I raised my children in the 80s and 90s and we hiked most of the trails in the gorge. The Eagle Creek trail was a favorite. At that time you could go to the Punch Bowl and usually encounter no more than 20 other hikers. When I heard there were over 100 hikers trapped by the fire I was truly shocked.
The Scenic Area has placed too much emphasis on tourism and attracting as many visitors as possible. Several reports referred to it as Portland’s playground as if it was some kind of Disneyland. This is so wrong. When parking lots are full that is a sign that capacity has been reached at that site. Don’t add shuttle buses.
The visitors today refuse to stay on trails, leave the garbage everywhere and are so unprepared that often have to be rescued putting the rescuers in danger. You should keep all trails closed until you protect the natural treasure that the gorge is. Raise the fines on those who refuse to comply with the closures. All the problems are tied to HUMANS. This fire should be a wake up call for those who make decisions. I only hope they can get their priorities straight.
Hi, Junie. We’ve been writing a series of articles on recreation’s impacts to the Gorge. They are all on our site. You can use the search button or look under the Recreation heading. 1. Managing Over-Capacity on Gorge Trails, 2. Off-Site Camping, A Widening Problem, 3. Mountain Biking Post Canyon and Coyote Wall – Catherine Creek. 4. A-Train: “Ambassador” of the Beach, 5. Knobby Tires and Wildflowers. Also please let us know if you think there are some article we should be covering.
Susan Hess
I have been struggling with Rachel’s comments regarding fire intervals since I read them last week. I actually find them rather disturbing.
– First, there is a dangerous, utopian undercurrent of letting nature do its thing. Should we care if the return interval is 200 years? That’s 10 generations of kids not being able to enjoy the Gorge as it has been since I moved to Portland in the early 2000’s. I don’t care if the Gorge returns to its natural beauty in 400 years. I won’t be there, my kids won’t be there… for all I know, humanity won’t be around any more.
– Second, and more importantly, is that the “natural cycles” approach seems to relegate climate change to the background when in fact it should be front and center of the discussion. Climate change is turning “natural” cycles into un-natural, vicious cycles of fire, erosion, and desertification. The time to philosophize and marvel at its ability to regenerate about nature has passed… it’s time for action.
Let me take an example: driving East past Cascade Locks towards Hood river, the crest of the hills and huge patches of the slopes on the south side of the river are covered in dead, dense forest. Unless those tress are removed and new ones replanted (at great cost, I expect), it’s just a matter of time until the enormous tinder box they represent goes up in flames, sterilizing everything in its path. This won’t be a mild burn, it will be catastrophic. Why don’t I see more action from the relevant government agencies, the Gorge Commission, etc.. about doing something about it?