Local News

Forest Service to Invest in Fuels Reduction in Upper Methow

Jun 29, 2015

Nearly 2,400 acres of hazard fuel reduction work will take place over the next two years in the upper Methow River Drainage, west of Winthrop, Washington. The contracted work is part of the Methow Valley Ranger District’s Lost Driveway project and will include thinning and handpiling in wildland urban interface on National Forest lands adjacent to private property.

Crews will thin understory trees to reduce the likelihood of crown fires developing. Work will start this summer and continue through 2016. After the debris has had time to cure, prescribed burning is planned to remove brush piles and accumulated surface fuels. Debris that is not hand-piled will be available for firewood collection with a purchased Forest Service firewood permit.

“This spring we received funding earmarked for the project because of its location adjacent to private lands and because of the degree of public and interagency support and involvement that has occurred with the Lost Driveway project,” said Meg Trebon, Assistant Fire Management Officer for Fuels. “This special funding means that implementation will occur more quickly over a larger area. It is the culmination of years of collaboration between individual landowners, homeowner’s associations, local Firewise communities, Okanogan County Conservation District, the state Department of Natural Resources, the National Forest Foundation, and the Forest Service.”

The work on National Forest lands will complement the efforts to reduce wildfire hazards on adjacent private lands.

“Several neighboring landowners have used the Firewise program to reduce risk on their own lands when wildland fire comes through. They have invested time, labor, and funds to adapt their landscape to wildfire,” noted Trebon. “These landowners recognize that fire in our area is not a matter of “if” but “when”, and they have changed their landscapes accordingly. We’re looking forward to doing the same on adjacent federal lands.”

Historically, fire played an essential role in shaping the vegetation pattern on this landscape. The many decades of fire suppression has led to stands of trees that are thick, overgrown, and often dominated by less fire tolerant species. Thinning forests and reducing surface fuels are important to reducing the impacts of wildfires and increasing the chances the fire can be suppressed.

The project is located within The Majestic Methow Treasured Landscape, one of 14 landscapes nation-wide that were selected by the National Forest Foundation for partnering with the Forest Service and local partners in restoration efforts. The Treasured Landscape campaign supports a comprehensive restoration and community engagement strategy, including fish and wildlife habitat restoration, trail restoration and maintenance to support sustainable recreational use, forest restoration including fuels reduction, and the removal of invasive plants.

For more information about the Lost Driveway project, please contact Meg Trebon at 509-996-4032. Additional information about the Majestic Methow Treasured Landscape is online at www.nationalforests.org/who-we-are/our-impact/methow.