A "not-so typical forest landowner" in Chickahominy Valley

Navigating through the forest has come naturally to Dave Eisler, a retired anthropology professor in Oregon. "So over all my life, I think I've been very comfortable in the forest environment," he shares. Growing up in New Jersey, he spent a lot of time in the Catskills, Adirondacks, and the Poconos. Around 10 years old, Eisler had a large vacant, undeveloped lot near his house in the suburbs , so it was common for him to ramble around in the woods.

“So over all my life, I think I’ve been very comfortable in the forest environment,”

Eisler describes his thought process when he is in the forest as, “I’m not just in the woods with these trees and these bushes. I sense that I’m in a landscape of ravines and drain edges,” thereby showing us how he is adapting to this place, what some might consider a wilderness, and many people might fear. 

After finishing his doctorate at the University of Oregon, Eisler took time off to do research in Papua New Guinea and in the Arctic. With the money he earned from these research expeditions, he bought his first 10 acres of land near Walton, Oregon in 1979. In 1994, Eisler was deeded 58 acres, then purchased 10 acres in 2002 and another 80 acres purchased from Plum Creek in 2013, a 22 year old stand of plantation fir, for a grand total of 158 acres. Of this land, 140 acres are forest and 20 acres of pastures, houses, and gardens. But this was not just any land, it was the home to Pacific Northwest coastal rainforest in the Chickahominy Valley. Botanically, this property is classified as a coastal hemlock forest. This designation is based on the dominant climax forest type with related understory vegetation species all relying on typical high rainfall amounts and specific soils. Post fire and post clear-cutting, the disturbance that valley bottom farming caused from the late 1800s until 1950's created the conditions for the current dominant species, those associated with an earlier sequence (or successional stage), or Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and red alder (Alnus rubra), another disturbance-dependent tree found in the riverside banks of the many streams. The forest is primarily hemlocks and Douglas-fir. His desired future conditions of his forested land are simply keeping it healthy and improving it through various forest management strategies.

But throughout our interview, Eisler continually stressed how he's “not a typical forest land owner," pointing to the fact that he didn’t need to make money from his land, since it is not the sole income for the family. He and his wife both have steady jobs. In this way, the land is his passion, what some might describe as a hobby, and an important part of the family’s lifestyle. For his family, it’s a long term extraction process where they can get income from the forest since it is always there. The Eisler's always have looked toward improving the forest, albeit with the luxury of not having to ask those hard economic questions like, “What’s our income going to be for this year?” Because of his lack of dependency on his land for annual income, Eisler recognizes that he may be on “the very far extreme of being an environmentalist-forestry person who is deeply involved in ecosystem science,” and is unlike many other members of his community who may depend on timber harvests for their incomes.

The spiritual role of the forest is one of the most important services a forest can provide; it can create a passion for the forest that is strong enough for one to advocate, educate, and work towards a sustainable forest structure. In asking Eisler about how the forest has improved his household's well-being, it was easy to notice the pure love he showed for his Shady Creek Forest (the name he gives to his property) and the natural ecosystem within it. His property is home to stands of ancient northwestern forest, including trees that are nearly 200-400 years old. Eisler mentions the diverse fauna he looks forward to seeing in the forest: martins, a small weasel-like predator, flying squirrels, the Northern Spotted owl, and various kinds of salamanders, butterflies, and birds.

“Standing in those groves is a very mind bending experience,”

Eisler explains the spirituality that comes with the human connection to nature fostered by time in the forest, describing how "standing in those groves is a very mind bending experience". Being able to easily navigate and find his way throughout the forest, Eisler feels he has a deeper spiritual connection with the forest. He is not the only one in his family to share in this spiritual connection, though his wife has a harder time navigating the terrain. He explains that his wife did not necessarily grow up within the forest like he did, which may be a reason why she has a difficult time finding her way. Their daughter, on the other hand, shares in Dave’s navigation skills; “she’s very familiar with the nuances of streams and rivers and salmon and animals in the forest, so she’s very comfortable being in the forest.”

Dave, his wife, and daughter go together into the forest to harvest chanterelles, a common mushroom that grows naturally within the forest structure. Dave describes how easy it is to get lost within this forest ecosystem. The Eisler’s have helped others who have been misplaced in the forest while finding chanterelles to find their way back. Seeing his daughter grow up in the forest with seemingly natural comfort in maneuvering throughout the forest, Dave often wonders, whether “is this a brain function, knowing where you are in the landscape and being very comfortable and oriented? [Or] Is that something that some people have and some don’t?” While his daughter roams with comfort, he sets up flags for his wife so she does not get lost. The contrast of his wife and daughters experience bring these questions into clearer focus. 

Eisler's community boundaries are defined by the physical geography of the region and the ridgelines that separate the Chickahominy Valley from other communities nearby. Nearly 28 families reside in this valley, many of whom consider themselves environmentalists and about half of whom own smaller portions of forested land. Dave estimates that only about a third of his community is truly comfortable going in and interacting with the forest. For example, these members--who may love their 40 acres--may never actually enter the forested portions. Nevertheless, these individuals value the complex forest ecology. Meanwhile, like Dave and his family other community members harvest mushrooms and other non-timber forest products (NTFPs) from amongst the many trees. As Eisler points out, "There are a lot of philosophies and agendas in this community,” making this group of individuals who inhabit this area quite diverse. 

Living in one place for over 40 years allows one to really see the change in not only the landscape, but also in one's own involvement, perspective, and value toward that place. When discussing how his relationship with his forested land has changed, the quickest, and quite honestly most obvious, Eisler mentioned was as the size of the landscape changes, meaning the property size he owns, and the different questions that come into his mind as a result. Questions revolving around the landscape lead to more frequent questions about the economic questions of what his responsibilities are as a landowner on the global scale and the local scale.

“these questions weren’t an issue when I had only 10 acres, right, but as it [property size] gets bigger I have more obligations, I have more responsibility. I have more impact or potential to do positive things.”

The primary idea Eisler had was to sustainably restore certain aspects of the forest ecosystem, focusing on the health of particular species of animals to bolster the integrity of the forest. "These questions [in terms of money and landscape] weren't an issue when I had only 10 acres, right, but as it [property size] gets bigger I have more obligation, I have more responsibility. I have more or potential to do positive things," Eisler shares with us. Thus, he became invested in designing flying squirrel nesting boxes as a way to restore this prey species population back into the forest ecosystem and make a positive impact on his land.

The flying squirrel population can be disrupted due to thinning, a necessary forest management strategy that takes down weaker trees, reduces overcrowding, and promotes healthier growth among the remaining trees. Because there are fewer trees, the flying squirrels numbers are impacted by habitat loss. This starts a chain reaction, with implications for the endangered Northern Spotted owl. When flying squirrels are impacted, the owls lose their highest source of protein. To combat this situation, Eisler makes and installs nesting boxes for the flying squirrels. While the boxes help bolster the flying squirrel population, thereby supporting owl population of the owls too, they also provide benefits to the forest and its trees. He learned the value of the squirrel beyond providing food for an endangered species. The squirrels help distribute mushroom micro rhizomes by digging for truffles. The spores they collect on their feet spread through the forest, providing critical nutrients to tree survival. Therefore, the more fungi you have, the healthier the forest. Discovering this new connection resulted in a new level of appreciation for, and way of seeing, the forest on his land.

A typical day in the woods for Eisler varies a lot based on what season it is. In the warmer months, during spring and summer, there is a lot of analysis, planning, and maintenance to be done. Particularly in the spring, Eisler can be found doing road maintenance and repairing anything that was damaged in the winter. He also begins assessing invasive species presence in the forest and developing plans for how best to control them. Some are difficult to control, such as the pervasive and noxious weed, Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius), that has a seed life of 50 years. According to Dave, the best approach for removal of this problem species has been hand pulling as many of them as he can find. He believes he has an obligation to follow through with his activities to this caliber too, as his forest is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, and he pursues his rigorous maintenance plans like this year after year for the ecological sake of the forest. 

 As the Pacific Northwest (PNW) gets warmer and creeps towards summer, and with the risk of fire as a growing concern every year, he must be meticulous about the tasks he does as to not start a fire or get caught up in one. The exponential fire risk over the years has brought all the neighbors together though, Eisler says, as the local community stays in close contact about fire risk and evacuation plans if fire were to reach their neck of the woods.

Despite the challenges, the enjoyable aspects of the warmer months for Eisler are paramount. The PNW is home to many beautiful flowering species, like orchids, which Dave finds immense joy in seeing while rummaging through the woods. Late summer is also a pleasant time for him, as he does salmon restoration projects; not long afterward, in the fall he'll gets to reap the rewards of seeing iconic salmon species return. Additionally, Eisler spends the lengthy Oregon summer evenings by the creek, often with neighboring families. One of the neighbors has several kids that were raised spending much of their time in the woods, and are wonderfully comfortable with foraging and exploring the forest. The locals lovingly coined these kids the “feral children” due to their outdoor skills and mastery at such a young age. They are always out and about bounding through the forest.

 As the warm seasons pass, autumn follows swiftly with brisk winds and cooler temperatures. With the increases in temperatures due to climate change though, the fall has been warmer than usual, and the season itself now lasts longer. Eisler says this poses management challenges, though he has been able to take advantage of this by harvesting many species of mushroom that come with autumn, or the chanterelles that prevail as the longtime champion of the valley's mushroom harvesting tradition. Typically, it's after the first fall rain when the forests begin to buzz with the hubbub of mushroom harvesters. Eisler allows other families in the community to harvest chanterelles from his property, noting that there is always an abundance and that it is impossible to pick too many.

After fall and the mushroom season dries up, winter follows suit. Winter in the forest immediately prompts Eisler to speak about flooding. The Oregon coastal range is known for the immense volume of precipitation and snowfall it receives, and Shady Creek is no exception. Particularly for Eisler in the Oregon coastal range, the colossal mountainous headwalls paired with the continued precipitation results in a lot of flash floods with large log debris that easily swallow up and destroy bridges throughout his forest. Winter is a time to monitor this, assess damage, and repair where possible. He also suggests a particular level of awareness regarding navigating the forest in the winter, as one needs to be vigilant about weather conditions before going out so as to not get stuck on the wrong side of a busted bridge, among other particular winter challenges.

 As severe as the winter conditions may get, including landslides, floods, and/or power outages, Eisler acknowledges that these conditions are an integral part of the ecology in the area, and is still able to find purpose amidst the weather-related turmoil that brings down trees. He finds importance in taking downed logs and finding an ideal place for them in his forest, frequently turning them into nurse logs that will support new trees. Another winter activity Eisler looks forward to is the solstice bonfire, a time where his family and the local community come together for a large social event. Every year in late December, the Eisler family and locals all come together for a solstice bonfire social event. The bonfire takes place in the woods, typically up on a large landing, and attracts a fairly large crowd from the community

Navigating the forest changes season to season, and Dave doesn't navigate based on landmarks, but relies on his general sense of where he is in his forest. He also doesn't struggle with what many people may associate as a fear of being in the "wilderness" alone. He believes that in part, this stems from his intuitive exploration of a woodlot near his home in suburbia when he was young. He notes that,

"These are things that you have to accept. If you're going to work alone and you're working in the forest, things can happen. And you just simply say, well, okay, it happened... Things can go bad in a forest and and you can get lost in the forest. It can take some health. I've got a lot of broken fingers. I've taken a lot of falls down some very steep slopes and So I respect the potential of the harm that can come to you when you go out either working or playing."

For Eisler, the benefits of forest stewardship and experience outweighs the risks. He describes some of his favorite forest encounters,

"I think visiting the ancient trees, the trees that are like 300 years old and you can have six people with their arms around it. Yes, just being there next to that tree, and in a stand of trees like that. That is, for us, something really special, spiritual. This pretty close to that. I would add one word to a lot of our experience in the forest, and that's how humbling it can be. It's humbling to be next to a tree, a living organism, that's been there for 500 years. It's so humbling."

He frequents areas of his woods with some of the oldest trees, keeping tabs on how they’re doing, and even visiting downed ones. He cites that it is a deeply moving activity for him, powerful and mind bending, and humbling as well. He pays careful attention to their conditions overtime, appreciating their age by looking at the rings, and finds aesthetic value in their enormous size.

Eisler describes himself as "not-so typical forest landowner" for a reason. Oregon is home to forest landowners of many backgrounds and with diverse, including private timber companies, Bureau of Land Management, and private landowners among others. With such a mix of people, there is bound to be some friction about what constitutes best practices. While Eisler seeks an ecological health based approach, that is not the case for all Oregon forest owners. Eisler explains that there is a tension that exists that's hard to navigate, as there is no way to quantify the value of ecosystem services such as clean water in a clearly economic language to communicate with some of these private timber entities about why they should not use something like pesticides in their management routines. Eisler is thankful to not have to rely on his forest for monetary gain, but explains that profit from timber work is a prevalent reason for forest ownership in the region, resulting in many monoculture Douglas Fir tree plantations with lack of biodiversity.

Dave went on to discuss the different aspects of managing a woodland forest as a working forest, one where ecology is important but harvests are also part of the equation. Besides being certified by the FSC for over thirty years now, part of his land is associated with the “ Healthy Forest Reserve ''. A government program run by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the HFRP provides assistance to landowners with active thinning and other best management practices to move the stand faster towards old-growth conditions. These two programs have been friendly and supportive of Dave’s work.

Dave described several examples of the management challenges he faces today. Dave has recently picked up a plantation stand, which is about 80 acres of land that was previously used for cash crops. Dave stressed that it was “a complete biological desert.” A major corporation inherited the property years ago; “they only planted Doug Firs and the trees were often sprayed with herbicides." Had Dave not intervened, this forest would have been clear cut in a couple of years and then replanted with Douglas-fir again. In taking over this plot of land, has begun conducting what he sees and describes as proper forest restoration, moving the land away from industrial monoculture.

This story led him to describe the importance of finding new and innovative restoration processes. “The climate is changing. We need resilience and adaptability.” Dave wants to seek out new ideas and listen to what today's research is telling us. “If I stuck to a specific or traditional plan for this new 80 acres, I would be wrong.” Another example of this is forest thinning. When you thin the forests, “It’s important that you never exceed [removing] more than 30 percent of the canopy cover in a single area.” If the temperature rises too high, it could destroy an entire area. "With global warming, we're seeing warmer weather push later into fall. These weather changes have to be taken into consideration. Opening the canopy too much can really put stress on the trees." He explained that you want to open up new canopies to encourage the next generation of seedlings, but they only need a certain amount of sunlight. He has found the best success when he does not thin too aggressively. “By thinning only to a 30 percent opening, this protects the coolness and everything in the understory. If you need to thin 15 years from now, make sure to do it gradually and slowly.” These decisions are based on new research, and Dave emphasizes how every few years more information is coming out and how it calls for continued adaptations to changing circumstances.

When asked about the frustrating aspects of forest management, Dave described how it was expensive to do responsible logging that leaves a forest intact and functioning. Also, you can not produce huge volumes of logs. This approach requires small equipment and a more intimate approach to logging. Dave went on to talk about the efforts to recruit people into sustainable forestry, indicating that there are very few foresters who come out of school and choose this direction. “Most people will often go to forest engineering school, come out and work for a Weyerhaeuser, and make about 50 or 60 thousand dollars a year.” Dave needs people to do this difficult work, but there are few people who are qualified and are willing to do it for the money he is able to pay.        

In addition to the financial challenges, Dave described the issues with landowners. He explained that it was it is difficult dealing with landowners due to the challenging economics. He has spent a lot of time advising small woodland owners on which route to go and it is a very tough sell. These owners are getting calls all the time from companies saying “We’ll come in, log everything, replant, and give you 75,000.” This proposition sounds really good for a lot of people. “Good forestry is hard to do and it's hard to sell it to people.” 

Speaking to another major issue on the horizon, Dave discussed a 40-acre plot that needs to be logged very soon. He talked about how he likes to use smaller management groups with smaller equipment, because they are more cautious and do less damage. He explained that the bigger the equipment, the more damage that is done to the forest and its understory. You have to clear paths for the equipment. It doesn't matter what kind of tree it is, if it's in the way, it has to come down. Only big corporations have the equipment needed to handle the size and steepness of a difficult area. Bigger groups are less aware and will tend to over log. He is still struggling with this choice. The alternative to this is not thinning. This would put a lot of trees under stress. The trees will be competing with one another for light and resources. It's also a fire threat. “If it burns, it really burns like a plantation.”

Practicing good forestry is expensive and not everyone can afford to do so. Dave doesn't have to cut corners due to lack of funds. “The problem is that there are not a lot of people in this exact situation.” But unlike me, most are cash strapped. Dave stresses that economics is not really critical for him, but it is one that he's made at many legislative hearings. “It's the things that we don't ever value. We have a way to value timber, board feet, cubic dimensions per acre, the value of lumber on a certain day coming out of a mill, and purchase prices of logs. We have quantifiable numbers that we can apply to a forest, we are all comfortable with it. But what we haven't been able to do is quantify the value of clean water, viable habitats, species protection, species viability, biosystems that function. What tangible values do you put on to balance these two things?” He's referring to the economic value to build homes--forest goods--and the value of protecting wildlife--critical ecosystem services. We don't have numbers for the value of protecting wildlife. “We destroy species, we put chemicals into streams, we ruin aquatic ecosystems. Everyone pays for this, but we can't put a number on it. You might be getting this out of the forest, economically, but we have just lost all of this (nature). This is something that we have never been able to do.” 

Next, Dave touched on his personal experiences with the forest industry. He informed us that people are starting to see these industries in a bad light due to their hazardous practices and poor public relations. He has challenged the corporations that use aerial pesticides. He's been to court to fight battles and has lost. The timber industry is a very “culturally macho” kind of industry. People complain but nothing happens. “They moved here and have to bite the bullet and accept the herbicides.” He sees a lack of education, stereotyping, and the political battle between the industry and the environment. 

Moving forward Dave is working on understanding how much people value the forest. He wants to know what incentives it would take for people to treat forests differently. "Is it possible to not clear cut the forest, but rather keep thinning it? Maybe not even thin it but put it into a reserve. It’s psychology. What can people live with or live without? Is it possible to change that? How much do people trust the information they get from an agency as compared to a watershed committee? Who are the people going to listen to?" In his experience, he has had way more success with local watershed committees that are run by members of the community. He explained that if we can bring projects through to them, they are much more willing to accept the “smaller and more kicked back kind of approach.”

Dave wrapped up our discussion with a couple of parting thoughts. He stated that we don't really know what our forests will be valued at in a couple of years because of climate change. We don't know if our forest will be our last hope to store carbon and how valuable they will be as sequestered carbon. Will they be more valuable than the logs that you take out to build people's homes? Will timber companies be able to pay the value price of the carbon market where investors will say “carbon is worth this much”? We all have to look at every possibility. 

He left us with the advice to spend time in the forests. “Get to know them.” This is the only way we can start to care for them. 

Coming into this interview, we anticipated Dave to simply share the managerial side of working in his forest, but not the ways he connected the managerial side to the spiritual values he has for his coastal hemlock forest. It was enlightening for the three of us to listen to the ways he cares for the forest, with nothing but happiness to share with us. We realized during this that in order to work in forest management and be successful, you cannot lose the "awe" emotion and spiritual purpose the forest provides. Successful forest management must be intrinsically motivated. The three of us were very fortunate to have interviewed Dave Eisler and create this Story Map we know he would be proud to read.