By James Day
On the logging road that takes you from the Opal Creek trailhead to the historic mining town Jawbone Flats lies an old-growth icon, the Guts Gibbs tree, a 270-foot-tall Douglas fir snag that is perhaps 1,000 years old.
Named for the Oregon governor who denounced slavery during the Civil War, the tree symbolizes the power of old-growth forests and the importance of Opal Creek.
The region was bruised and battered during the timber wars of the 1980s and 1990s and has emerged as a recreational and educational mecca… And with a new trophy to put on the wall.
On July 11 the Old-Growth Forest Network honored Opal Creek as its “forever wild” forest for Marion County.
Old-Growth Forest Network founder and director Joan Maloof, an author and botanist, was on hand for the dedication, the 100th ceremony the Maryland-based network has initiated. Maloof also was present for similar ceremonies at Cummins Creek Wilderness (Lane County) and Cook’s Ridge (Lincoln County).
“How are we going to protect these places for posterity?” Maloof said amid a sun-dappled dedication ceremony on the Gold Creek Bridge. “We have to create a network of people who care about forests and we have to get them out into the forests.
“I already knew about Opal Creek because I have been reading about it since the 1990s. But I never imagined I would be here. Magic has a way of making things happen.”
Maloof spoke before a group of about 30, including Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center staffers, members and officials from Oregon Wild and supporters such as George Atiyeh, who worked tenaciously to preserve the 35,000-acre forest in the 1980s and 1990s.
“If you say Opal Creek people think big trees, tall trees and clean water,” said Katie Ryan, executive director of the Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center. “This place is real special in Oregon history.”
Chandra LeGue of Oregon Wild, who has just published a book on hiking Oregon’s ancient forests, spoke about the changes that human presence has made on the landscape and noted the species that thrive in old forests such as the marbeled murrelet.
“To be able to save an area this large is really special,” she said, “and it’s necessary for a forest like this to function.”
Maloof and her county coordinators are guided by three principles when searching for forests to add to the network. First, the forest must be as old as possible. Second, it must be protected from logging. And third, it must be accessible to the public.
“Opal Creek was a no-brainer,” she said. “We already knew this was going to be the forest for Marion County.”
Forests in 22 states are in the network, with the three dedicated in July the first in Oregon to join. Maloof noted that there are approximately 3,000 counties in the U.S. However, more than 600 have no forests. Other counties pose challenges for selection because they are so urban.
“I might not get to all of them in my lifetime, she said.
There will be other lifetimes. Just ask Guts Gibbs.
In her remarks Ryan noted that the primary work done at the forest involves education and stewardship.
“If people care about a place they will stand up to protect it,” she said. “And they will only stand up for it if they know it.”
