On Thursday, representatives from the Gifford Pinchot National Forest announced that 5.9 million board feet of timber from the Jane Timber Sale was sold to a business known as High Cascade, out of Carson.
Some $525,000 of that sale will be applied to fund road construction and maintenance on 36 miles that will be used to transport the timber from the forest to a mill. Repairs will include surface rock replacement, replacing washed out roads from winter storms and fixing damaged culverts. Crews will also undertake roadside brush clearing, grading and spot patching of paved road sections.
A press release sent by Susan Ripp of the Forest Service noted that, “Road improvements provide public benefit for those who access this part of the forest for hunting, enjoying a weekend drive, hiking, and other forest uses. Specifically for those that hike, access to the trail networks in the Trapper Creek Wilderness and the Siouxon area will be greatly improved.”
Once timber harvest operations are completed, leftover wood from the site will likely be made available to the public for removal via firewood permits.
The Jane Timber Sale represents the first of several sales that were proposed by the Swift Thin project in 2016. The Swift Thin planning area is located east and south of the Swift Reservoir within the Lewis River watershed. That plan calls for the continued commercial thinning of trees between 45 and 55 years in age within the roughly 3,600 acres outlined in the plan.
Additional information on the project can be accessed online at www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=44133.
