234 



DRAFT 



discussion should be moved to the "forestry" portion of the report where the results of 

 the studies cited are most applicable. 



Solar Radiation-Riparian Vegetation Loss (page 751: 



The report states that loss of riparian vegetation can be detrimental to salmonid 

 production due to increased water temperatures in "...central and eastern Oregon 

 streams... ", and cites reports indicating that "fsjunlight and temperature effects are not 

 easily predictable or explainable in western Oregon (NCASI 1987, Hicks et al. 1991). " 

 While we agree with the statement that loss of riparian vegetation can be detrimental to 

 salmonids, we do not agree with the inference that this problem is limited to central and 

 eastern Oregon. Past scientific studies have noted detrimental increases in stream 

 temperature due to riparian vegetation removal in western Oregon (Brown et al. 1971; 

 Moring 1975a; Moring 1975b; Moring and Lantz 1975; etc.). In addition, the 

 Department was not able to locate information in Hicks et al. (1991) to support the 

 statement that temperature effects are "ru)t easily predictable or explainable in western 

 Oregon ". The Department was unable to verify the statement attributed to NCASI 

 (1987) as the referenced study is not documented in the bibliography. These statements 

 appear to be unsubstantiated by the references cited, and are not supported by the 

 majority of research available on this subject. 



Page 76, 2.2.2. Agriculture 



General Comments 



Introductory material consists of questionable assertions concerning historical and 

 contemporary agricultural practices. For example, the statement that "agriculture was 

 the first major step in the evolution of culture and the first alteration of ecosystems" 

 disregards the prior emergence of language, clothing, and religion, and the ecological 

 consequences of cooperative hunting and the use of fire. 



Historical (pages 77-78> 



"In 1970. private acreage for crops in Oregon had risen to 5.3 million 

 acres... fsjome 1.7 million acres were irrigated. " 



According to the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Commerce 

 (1987 Census of Agriculture 1:37 Oregon State and County Data), there were 2.8 

 million acres of cropland in Oregon, 1.6 million of which were irrigated, not 5.3 

 million acres of cropland with 1.7 million acres irrigated as suggested (citing 1970 

 data). 



The total for the first column of the untitled table at the bottom (million acres dryland) 

 is 4.6, not 3.6. 



A-28 



