United States Department of Agriculture. Summary Report: Columbia Basin Area Agricultural Program. Washington: US Department of Agriculture, 1954. (reviewed by Heather Daniel)
Summary:
The goal of this document is twofold. In the first part, the report presents the geography, topography, population, annual rainfall, land use and river use of the Columbia River basin. It uses maps, graphs, statistics and other government documents and attempts to consolidate varied data into a manageable report that gives a fair overview of the current state of the basin in 1954. Its second goal is to analyze the data from the first section and present problem areas and potential solutions for the basin.
Of particular note is the section on the basin's forest resources. The authors provide an in-depth look at the history of the timber economy in the northwest and its impact on the Columbia River Basin. Heavy cutting in the basin began in earnest in the 1850's and has since become a mainstay in the northwestern economy. As a result, much of the virgin timber is located in largely inaccessible areas and commercial timber companies must attain lumber from second-growth forests. When the report was published in 1954 the quality of wood harvested from the basin is decreasing with little hope of change. “The supply of high quality, large size, old-growth Douglas fir now commanding premium market in the plywood industry will be virtually exhausted within 30 years of the present rate of cutting” (35). The report also attempts to provide possible solutions for a more sustainable timber economy. The appropriate response to the clear cutting would be improved forest management. This would include diversifying the age classes of forests so that areas are not predominately populated with only very young trees. In addition, the mixed ownership of the land (private and public lands) creates conflicts as one tries to rehabilitate forests and streams.
The report also examines agricultural programs, farms and land use in the Columbia Basin. All the indicators we have talked about in class are present in this report. The land suffers from floods, sedimentation, soil nutrient deficiencies, restricted drainage, and soil acidity. One such example of endangered agricultural areas is the Palouse and Blue Mountain Ranges. While these areas are not irrigated by the dam system in the basin, the steepness of the slopes and lack of sustainable land management practices have lead to severe soil loss.
The report proposes many solutions that include contour farming, contour strip farming, wind strip cropping, and crop residue utilization. Many of these methods involve alternating growing crops with fallow strips in bands so that it reduces soil erosion, increases moisture conservation and increases organic matter in the soil.
The report goes on to give specific methods of encouraging river rehabilitation including log and rock piling installation to encourage shading and oxygenation. The report also proposes research into the best ways to stabilize gullies and streambeds so that peak floods have a chance to diffuse before reaching areas downstream. The report concludes with an emphasis on more research, more conservation, and better management of the entire basin with particular attention to streambeds and forest management.
Critique:
This document presents a wealth of knowledge in a very concise and easy to navigate manner. Its value for me lies in its view on the Columbia Basin in relationship to the document I reviewed last week from 1928. In the Congressional Committee document from 1928 we saw an attitude of agricultural development that completely ignored the environmental sustainability and the close relationships between farms, forests and rivers.
Conversely, this document identifies many of the same problems that we have talked about in class, foreshadows the issues concerning salmon, old growth forests and alkali soils. Beyond that, the report favors conservative use of the basin forests and significant changes in the land use within the basin. I was surprised to read that the US Department of Agriculture was so aware in the 1950's. I expected the report to echo the same attitude of the Congressional Committee. Instead, their plans and proposed solutions correctly identify ways to help rehabilitate the Basin before the problems become irreversible.
However, the report lacks significant detail on the dam system of the basin. While the report mentions that degraded streambeds have kept salmon from spawning, the report fails to recognize the extensive damming of the basin as the key problem for spawning salmon. The report also fails to make the connections between extensive damming, extremely low electricity costs, and over irrigation of certain agricultural areas. It is mentioned in the report that many of the agricultural areas do not need irrigation and can support crops such as beans and wheat that are less dependent on huge amounts of water resources. If that is the case, then why were so many dams built on the river? It seems that overzealous politicians and the economic situation of the 1930's encouraged extensive and damaging damming projects but that the Department of Agriculture is not willing to place blame on the federal government.
Robert D. Clark Honors College, University of Oregon
HC 441: Science Colloquium, Columbia River Ecology
Fall term, 2005
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