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Council considers thinning and visual buffers for cemetery parcel

Vernonia City Council (work session) · May 6, 2026

Summary

Council discussed staged thinning near the cemetery to preserve visual aesthetics while managing forest health; options included removing front-buffer trees first and delaying work behind the cemetery so the site retains its traditional look.

Councilors discussed the cemetery track at length, raising aesthetics and stewardship concerns. Presenter outlined an option to "take the front buffer around the cemetery first so that this is growing, and then when this gets tall enough, you take what's behind it," a sequencing intended to preserve the cemetery's appearance while addressing safety and stand health.

The cemetery track totals substantial acreage (discussants referenced roughly 75–79 acres for different cemetery-area parcels) and the council debated parcel-size strategies (5–15 acre units or a grid by age class) so harvests can be staggered and avoid a boom-and-bust cycle. Staff advised that thinning younger stands and targeted removals around sensitive edges would be consistent with stewardship goals; councilors asked to view the site during the planned field visits and to return with recommended tripwires for action.

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