Goodbye, Tahoe

Engineering and managing forests sounded intriguing to Steve Eubanks when he heard about the idea in an Oregon classroom.

Now after 37 years in the U.S. Forest Service, Eubanks is more convinced than ever that managing national forests is paramount to their survival.

At his Nevada City office the other day, the supervisor of the Tahoe National Forest, who will resign Jan. 3, reflected on forest management and the changes he's seen in forestry through the years.

"It was never boring," Eubanks said.

The man who is replacing him thinks Eubanks' manner also made it interesting.

"He's respected because he's not afraid to speak his mind, but he's very professional and always does it in a respectful manner," said Tom Quinn, supervisor of the Stanislaus Forest in the mid-Sierra.

Judie Tartaglia, deputy supervisor under Eubanks for his nine years here, also thinks she knows why things remained interesting.

"He listens to both sides of the story," Tartaglia said. "He's very open-minded."

It started for Eubanks on the family farm outside of Salem, Ore., where he learned to love the outdoors through chores, hunting and fishing. The experience also pointed him toward a job in forestry and away from farming.

"Getting up at four in the morning to milk cows is rough," Eubanks said.

During college at Oregon State University, Eubanks worked summers for the Forest Service and found his calling. He joined full time upon graduation. For the first 19 years in the Forest Service, Eubanks worked a variety of jobs in Oregon and Washington, watching the change.

"I was on the Willamette (National Forest in Oregon) at the absolute height of the timber harvest," Eubanks said. About that time he started working with researchers at an experimental forest on a new concept called ecosystem management.

"It looked at the benefits of snags (dead trees) and ecosystem functions and structure," Eubanks said, instead of just how the forest could produce timber. The Forest Service was once into creating fiber, but "now it's how to reduce fire to protect species and habitat," Eubanks said.

The transition has been challenging.

Lawsuits and timber cutting appeals filed years ago to stop logging are now helping to choke forests and create wildfire havens, Eubanks said. Though he is not calling for the return of logging's heyday, he does think thinning stands adds to their health and averts uncontrollable blazes.

"The amount of biomass accumulation is a real concern for the ability to manage forests," Eubanks said. "Couple that with climate change, and it doesn't bode well for the future."

A flight across Nevada County also reveals the vast amount of development the Tahoe National Forest is up against, he said.

"You see an increasing amount of development in the forest and that just complicates the fire problem," Eubanks said.

Previous forest clearing led to the suppression of the Angora Fire in Tahoe and the Antelope Fire in the Plumas National Forest, Eubanks said. He also clears his own property to protect his home.

Eubanks' career has included numerous achievements. Several years ago he was asked to help shape the "Sierra Nevada Framework," the agency's guideline for the future of Sierra Forests.

He also has worked with the Russian Forest Service in Siberia since 1996, helping them develop sustainable forestry practices. Two major forestry workshops with renowned experts have been held here during Eubanks' tenure.

One more achievement didn't generate an award but made Eubanks just as proud - the Forest Breakfast Group.

"It was just an idea to get together and share ideas on forestry issues," Eubanks said.

No grandiose schemes arose, but Eubanks figured if he could get poet Gary Snyder and Tim Feller of Sierra Pacific Industries at the same table, something good would come out of it.

Traveling with wife Nancy to see their children and other sites will take a good part of Eubanks' future, but forestry will remain as well.

Carbon credits from the forest is something he wants to explore and perhaps acquire for clients on a contract basis. He will also return to Russia to complete the forestry program he worked on earlier.

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To contact Senior Staff Writer Dave Moller, e-mail dmoller@theunion.com or call 477-4237.