2020 Fire Affected Road System Risk Reduction Project Proposal

Less than a century ago stand replacement fires were natural regeneration and produced vigorous and healthy forests with the inputs left in place. This was the crucial building blocks of a forest recovering from wildfire. Today you can find numerous examples of 80 -120 year old stands that are providing functioning healthy ecosystems as testament that nature does it best in recovery of catastrophic occurrences. Even standing dead trees provide some shading of riparian areas.

• What roads are important to you for treatment and restoration of access and why are they important? 

The existing road system is too extensive and causes too much damage to the landscape and waterways.

Decommission roads that are on the Forest Service list of decommissioning - no treatment beyond barriers and gates.

Treat roads when necessary to access managed recreation sites. Unmanaged recreation sites should be deprioritized in providing road access and hazard removal.

Resolve all damaged culverts that might impede fish passage or increase sedimentation. Apply treatments when necessary to resolve culverts.

Close all spur roads with barriers - no treatment. Specifically, on Detroit District no treatment on FS 4685-200 and FS 4685-201

Leave portions of the forest and roads closed longer. Allow nature to do the work.

• Are there additional or modified criteria we should consider in determining if the road needs to be treated beyond what we are already considering (level of access need and concentration of fire-killed and injured trees)? 

Reduce tree length to half a tree or less.

The Forest Service needs to quantify and prove visitor days for each road considered for treatment. Less use, less treatment.

Trees need to stay in original location or moved nearby.

Hazard tree removal need to be used for restoration projects.

Uprooted trees should be left with root-wad and seventy foot length for riparian restoration projects.

Some removed trees should be milled for recreation projects. 

Some trees should be placed in usable location for trail bridge replacement. Specifically the roaring creek bridge replacement on South Breitenbush Gorge Trail #3366

Nearby cabin tracts that are fire impacted should be allocated trees for milling. The removed hazard tree should be trucked to a suitable location within the tract.