Oregon Field Guide — Herbicide Alternatives, Logging with Horses, Snake River Mail Boat, Hell's Canyon Caretakers

Episode 108

Herbicide Alternatives: The Forest Service used to rely on herbicides to keep seedlings alive on recently clearcut patches of forest. Now they're finding more natural ways to manage the land, by planting beneficial grasses along with the new trees, and using sheep to control the ground cover.; Read More and Watch this story

Logging with Horses: It's back to the future for one environmentally-minded logging operation near Ashland. This timber owner cuts trees selectively to improve the health of the forest. He uses horses to haul out the logs because they have less impact on the land than heavy equipment.; Read More and Watch this story

Snake River Mail Boat: Where the Snake River runs through Hells Canyon in northeastern Oregon, a weekly mail boat delivers more than just letters. Some ranchers along the river don't have phones or boats of their own, and the mail boat is their only contact with the outside world. The boat delivers groceries and supplies, and even ferries pets to the vet. In summer tourists come along for the ride, but in winter it's a dangerous ride.; Read More and Watch this story

Hell's Canyon Caretakers: There are no cars in Hell's Canyon, and the nearest town is 70 miles away. Isolated lodges cater to tourists during the summer, but in the fall and winter, the lodge's caretakers are on their own.; Read More and Watch this story