Forest restoration 2008

Working together, getting results

In 2008, Conservation Northwest's collaborative restoration work benefited nearly 63,000 acres of Washington national forests, restoring forests for habitat and wildlife. Forest staff provided on-the-ground analysis for restoration timber sales, working in conversation with agencies and as part of stake-holder collaborations.

In brief

• Northern Washington. 12,000 acres of restoration on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie and Wenatchee-Okanogan national forests.
• Southern Washington. 30,000 acres of young forest inventoried for benefit of restoration thinning on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
• Eastern Washington. 20,000 acres of restoration laid out for the Colville National Forest.
• Western Washington. 600 acres of restoration treatment on the Gifford Pinchot and Olympic national forests. 
  

Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie and Wenatchee-Okanogan national forests

• On the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie and Okanogan-Wenatchee national forests, we took part in vegetation restoration projects on an estimated 12,000 treatment acres.
• We raised funds to remove 3 miles of unnecessary road and helped attain Legacy Roads Funding to decommission 34 miles of road in the Twisp River watershed.
• Through our efforts 50 volunteers worked three different times helping restore Gold Creek.
• And we helped fledge a novel collaborative watershed group aimed at restoring forests in the upper Yakima River.

Colville National Forest

• Through the Northeast Washington Forestry Coalition, we worked closely on two new restoration projects covering nearly 20,000 acres.

• We collaborated to provide new routes for disabled hunters, and we worked with the coalition task force to finalize policies on thinning, regeneration harvest, old-growth restoration, and road construction on the forest.
• As a result of past collaboration, Forest Service decisions were signed that will restore dry forest structure on nearly 8,000 acres, reintroduce the dynamic of fire on nearly 2,000 acres, provide approximately 15 million board feet of products to local mills, decommission 5.5 miles of roads, and provide needed road maintenance on more than 40 miles of road.
• Together with The Lands Council, who cover the eastern half of the forest, we work in a coordinated fashion across the Colville National Forest, efficiently sharing the workload, each organization stepping across the Columbia whenever needed to aid the other.

Gifford Pinchot and Olympic national forests

• Working with national forest staff and collaborative partners such as the Pinchot Partnership, Skokomish Watershed Action Team, and Olympic Forest Coalition, on the two forests we designed and implemented four model ecological thinning projects that will restore over 600 acres of young forest, decommission 5 miles of road, produce close to 7 million board feet of wood, and keep contractors employed for over 3,500 worker days, all while improving wildlife habitat value.

• We also spearheaded an inventory of 30,000 acres of young, previously managed forest that will benefit from thinning, for wildlife and habitat, over the next 10 to 20 years.