LA GRANDE— A controversial plan for forest management work in the Red Apple portion of the Mount Emily Recreation Area may go forward this winter.

Union County Parks Coordinator Sean Chambers and Union County forestry consultant Chuck Sarrett were given a vote of confidence by the Union County commissioners during a meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 1. Chambers and Sarrett are developing a plan for forest management work at the 300-acre Red Apple site, MERA’s most popular location for hiking and mountain biking.

“If they want to go forward they can. We trust them and their decisions. That is why they are in the positions they are in,” said Matt Scarfo, chair of the Union County Board of Commissioners.

Scarfo said this following a meeting where a number of people expressed concern that forest management work in the Red Apple could do significant damage to its trails and rob the area of valuable trees.

Chambers, stressing that no timeline has been set, said he hopes that the most of the work can be done this winter.

“The intent is to make this a winter project,” he said.

Chambers said it would be best if much of the work is done in the winter when snow cover and frozen ground would reduce damage done by crews.

The goals of the project, according to Union County Commissioner Paul Anders, is to improve forest health, promote a fire resilient forest and boost recreational opportunities in MERA.

“MERA is an incredibly important part of the the community. The last thing we want to see is for it to be degraded in any way,” he said.

Anderes said the members of the board of commissioners have a lot of confidence in Chambers and Sarrett.

“We are going to leave up to the professionals. We are not going to micromanage this,” the commissioner said.

Chambers’ original plans called for the project’s request for proposal, which will which list objectives, deadlines and more, to go out Nov. 15 and for a bid to be awarded Dec. 10. However, these dates have been pushed back due to the concerns expressed during a field review on Nov. 10.

Chambers said MERA is close to his heart and he wants to do everything to protect it so that it will be available to future generations.

“We all appreciate what a gem this is for our community and are intent on making it shine brighter,” he said.

A draft RFP created in part by Chambers, was presented to the Union County Board of Commissioners and none voiced objections to it. The finalized RFP will not have to be approved by the Union County Board of Commissioners, though the commissioners will have to approve any contract before one is awarded to a successful bidder, according to Union County Administrative Officer Shelley Burgess.

Chambers said that because of a concern for public safety there will be a need to have closures of areas while work is being done. Commissioner Donna Beverage compared the need for upcoming closures to the delays motorists encounter while repair work is being done on a highway.

Thirty people attended the Dec. 1 meeting via Zoom or phone. Several individuals spoke out against heavy-handed logging, emphasizing the importance of the area as a hub for recreation. A majority of those that talked at the meeting also mentioned a need for more public input in the decision-making process, which the commissioners took note of.

Many of those speaking against the logging plan asked for the proposal to be pushed back or reconsidered. One individual called upon the commissioners to create a more detailed plan involving more public input and to plan to get funding to restore any trails damaged by forest management work.

Approximately 20 opinions were gathered by letter or public comment as the board of commissioners listened to input from locals. The interactions became contentious at times as a variety of concerns were brought up.