[PAGE 1] Forest Stewardship Plan – Timeline Overview Daniel Wear Forest Program Manager [PAGE 2] Main Steps 1 Information Gathering, Committee Feedback, Site Review 2 Drafting & Committee Informed Design 3 Draft Stewardship Plan 4 Review and Final Stewardship Plan [PAGE 3] What is a Forest Stewardship Plan • Vision and Goals August – Initial Engagement • Management Policies September • Site Understanding 2025 • Management Policies October – Recommendations • Management Activities We are December here 2025 December • Committee Feedback Draft Review • Funder Feedback 2025 – • Focused Refinements February 2026 • Approved by OWEB & Other Funders February Final Plan Approved • Approved by Committee 2026 – May • Recommended to City Council 2026 [PAGE 4] Today’s Meeting Share and Confirm Language Around: - Goals and Purpose - Policy Categories Introduce & Discuss Management Activities Next Steps will include: - Additional Conversation on Management Activities – if needed? - Springboard to Share Draft Stewardship Plan – Mid December. Photo: Jetty Creek Watershed [PAGE 5] How to Provide Feedback on Draft Plan Draft Plan: Available for review Mid-Dec – Mid- Jan Primary Feedback: Shared via email to Daniel Wear or via Survey (to come). In-Person Feedback – Shared at Late Jan/ Early Feb Meeting. Goal: To have initial round of feedback two days prior to winter meeting, to give Springboard time to review and make recommendations. Photo: Jetty Creek, Sustainable Northwest [PAGE 6] Jetty Creek Watershed 11/13/2025 Forest Advisory Committee [PAGE 7] AGENDA • Review Final Purpose and Goals • Review Forest Management Policies • Review Forest Stewardship Recommendations • Next Steps [PAGE 8] Finalized Purpose and Goals PROVIDE RELIABLE BUILD LONG-TERM FOREST FOSTER COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND ENHANCE ENSURE LONG-TERM QUANTITIES OF HIGH- RESILIENCE THROUGH ENGAGEMENT AND HABITAT FOR NATIVE FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY QUALITY DRINKING WATER. STEWARDSHIP THAT STEWARDSHIP THROUGH WILDLIFE, CONSISTENT BY MANAGING THE FOREST PROMOTES SPECIES RECREATION AND WITH DRINKING WATER TO MINIMIZE WATER DIVERSITY AND EDUCATION. OBJECTIVES. TREATMENT COSTS AND STRUCTURAL COMPLEXITY OPTIMIZE OPERATIONAL WHILE MITIGATING RISKS EFFICIENCY WITHIN THE FROM FIRE AND OTHER CITY'S BUDGET. DISTURBANCES. [PAGE 9] 1. Provide reliable quantities of high-quality drinking water The City of Rockaway Beach fee simple ownership in and around the Jetty Creek watershed includes roughly half of the drinking water source area. A combination of steep slopes, erodible soils, roads, and past management practices has resulted in high turbidity throughout the watershed, driving up water treatment costs. All management practices will prioritize protecting and improving both the quality and quantity of source water, now and in the future. This includes mitigating impacts from sediment, nutrients, temperature fluctuations, large-scale disturbances such as pest outbreaks, and human activities. Additionally, forest structure and stand composition significantly affect low-flow and peak-flow conditions—factors that are becoming increasingly critical as weather patterns grow more unpredictable. [PAGE 10] 2. Build long-term forest resilience through stewardship that promotes species diversity and structural complexity while mitigating risks from fire and other disturbances. Diverse and complex forests have a higher capacity to store and filter water, as well as greater ecological resilience in the face of disturbance. Forest stewardship will align with natural ecological processes to accelerate the forest's ability to provide essential ecosystem services. Policies relating to harvest, stream buffers, and invasive species management all aim to support natural forest processes while preparing for anticipated variability and severity of disturbances. [PAGE 11] 3. Foster community engagement and stewardship through recreation and education. The city-owned property provides valuable aesthetic, recreational, and cultural benefits to the Rockaway Beach community, supporting activities such as hiking, wildlife viewing, and education. While protecting water quality and quantity remains the primary management priority, management actions promote public access and community connection to the forest where possible and with little to no potential impact on source water. [PAGE 12] 4. Support and enhance habitat for native wildlife, consistent with drinking water objectives. The Jetty Creek watershed provides important habitat for a wide range of wildlife species. The mosaic of forest stand characteristics on the city-owned property currently supports adequate habitat with significant potential for future improvement. Steep slopes and large riparian buffers have created natural barriers to harvest, resulting in de facto reserve areas across the property. Over time, managing for historical forest succession patterns will restore habitat conditions that have become increasingly rare on the Northern Oregon Coast. [PAGE 13] 5. Ensure long-term financial sustainability by managing the forest to minimize water treatment costs and optimize operational efficiency within the City's budget. Active management of the city-owned property plays a dual role in maintaining forest health and funding ongoing stewardship costs, with direct impacts on water affordability for the community. By integrating active management with source water protection and climate resilience, the property serves as a public model for sustainable forestry that delivers both ecological and economic benefits. [PAGE 14] Policy Categories FOREST STREAM BUFFERS ROAD INVASIVE RECREATION AND STEWARDSHIP MAINTENANCE SPECIES AND PUBLIC ACCESS CHEMICAL USE [PAGE 15] Forest Stewardship Policy The City of Rockaway Beach’s ownership within the Jetty Creek Watershed will be managed to increase species diversity, develop forest structural complexity, and maintain canopy cover (extent). This will be done with a long-term planning horizon and in a manner that prioritized water quality. [PAGE 16] Stream Buffer Policy The City of Rockaway Beach will manage the City ownership in the Jetty Creek Watershed to comply with the Oregon Forest Practices Act and Forest Stewardship Council Pacific Standards requirements for stream buffers. All streams will require a 150’ equipment limitation zone, measured as horizontal distance. Non-commercial stewardship activities may take place to accomplish restoration and resilience goals within this 150’ buffer, but should not utilize mechanical equipment. [PAGE 17] Road Maintenance Policy The City of Rockaway Beach or their contractors will monitor and evaluate the condition of roads in the Jetty Creek Watershed on an annual basis and following extreme weather events to prioritize maintenance and repair activities. Mainline and essential spur roads will be maintained on an annual basis with repairs as needed. Small spur roads may be decommissioned or temporarily abandoned. All current mainline roads should be kept open in order to provide fire and emergency access. This includes the removal of downed trees and regular brush mowing to keep roads open during fire season. Strategies for road maintenance include out-sloping roads where possible, frequent and oversize cross drains, and disconnecting ditches and culverts from active stream channels. Routing road runoff into forest understory vegetation provides the best fine sediment filter available for forest roads. [PAGE 18] Invasive Species and Chemical Use Policy The City of Rockaway Beach will work with partners and the other watershed landowners to utilize the best available science and treatments for the management of invasive species. Invasive species are an inevitable component of forested ecosystems, but management will always strive to develop healthy native forests and ecologically functional plant communities. The City of Rockaway Beach will not use any pesticides or fertilizers on their own ownership within the watershed and will work with other watershed landowners to encourage alternatives to pesticide and fertilizer. [PAGE 19] Recreation and Public Access Policy Determining a long-term balanced and managed approach to recreation will be critical in the Jetty Creek Watershed. The property is currently open to public access, with some restrictions relating to permits and seasonal / operational closures. Public access will continue to be allowed, with efforts made to develop new recreational access trails outside of the DWSA. Recreational access will be managed to minimize impacts to the property and to the staffing of the City of Rockaway Beach public works department, while also exposing residents and tourists to the wonders of the Jetty Creek property. The City intends to complete a Recreation Development Plan for areas outside of the DWSA within three years from the date of acquisition. [PAGE 20] Forest Stewardship Reccomendations Non-commercial forest Road maintenance and health thinning monitoring Recreational Invasive Species Development Planning Management and Implementation [PAGE 21] DISCUSSION AND NEXT STEPS BEN HAYES ben@springboardforestry.com