The Deschutes National Forest plans to thin the woods west of Bend, starting as soon as late this year and leading to temporary closures on popular trails.

Forest leaders are closing in on a plan for the woods mainly between Cascade Lakes Highway and Skyliners Road, which they say will revitalise the forest while lowering the chance of large wildfire.

“The over-arching goal here is to create a more resilient forest west of Bend,” said Beth Peer, environmental coordinator for the Bend-Fort Rock District.

The West Bend Vegetation Management Project would cover 21,817 acres and include logging on 14,522 acres, according to a draft plan released earlier this month. The project would also involve mowing underbrush and prescribed burns. The Deschutes National Forest is taking public comment on the plan until June 3.

Many people in Bend and beyond are familiar with the woods covered by the project. They include the Phil’s Trail complex, the Deschutes River Trail south of town, and the nordic and snowshoe trails starting at Virginia Meissner Sno-park.

Peer said the U.S. Forest Service wants the public to know what is coming.

“There is going to be equipment,” she said. “There are going to be log trucks for a number of years.”

The plan didn’t include a schedule for when which trails would be closed, but it did say that the closures would last from a single day to several months.

“To the extent possible, disruption to recreation access would be limited as possible to maintain public safety and provide for safe and efficient treatment operations,” according to the plan.

While changing the look of parts of the forest, the thinning shouldn’t change the course of the trails, said Ruth Williamson, a member of the Bend Park and Recreation District Board.

“We don’t want to compromise any of the recreation infrastructure,” she said.

Williamson is part of the Deschutes Collaborative Forest Steering Committee, which advised the Deschutes National Forest on the thinning plan. She is one of two representatives for recreation on the committee, which has 20 members.

Getting word out about the thinning project in Bend’s “playground” will involve posting information at trailheads west of Bend reaching out to people who live near the woods, said Phil Chang, the program administrator for the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council.

“When you do a project this close to population, it is a real challenge to make sure everyone knows about it,” he said.

In all, the logging will yield more than 31.8 million board feet of timber, according to the plan.

To put that in perspective, Interfor, the sawmill in Gilchrist takes in about 75 million board feet of wood a year, said Chuck Burley, mill manager.

Burley said Thursday that he hadn’t had a chance to look at the plan yet and it was too soon to determine if the mill would bid on the sales. He does support thinning west of Bend.

“Overall, it is an area that needs some work,” he said.

While sometimes at odds with Burley and the Forest Service about logging plans, Tim Lillebo, eastern Oregon field representative for Oregon Wild, a Portland-based conservation nonprofit, agreed that thinning is needed.

“Overall, some kind of action in that area is important,” he said.

But, like Burley, he said he hadn’t had a chance to vet the plan. Burley and Lillebo are also members of the Deschutes Collaborative Forest Steering Committee.

Representing Deschutes County on the committee, County Commissioner Alan Unger said the woods west of Bend are due for thinning.

“If we don’t get that fuel out of the forest, it is just a matter of time that we have a fire there,” he said. “And those trees are packed close together.”

To comment

The U.S. Forest Service is taking public comments on the plan to thin woods west of Bend. Comments, due by June 3, should be sent to:

Mail: John Allen, Deschutes National Forest supervisor

63095 Deschutes Market Road

Bend, OR 97701

Email: comments-pacificnorthwest -deschutes-bend-ftrock@fs.fed.us

Fax: 541-383-4700

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Greg Cross / The Bulletin

Phil’s Trail complex

Deschutes River Trail

Virginia Meissner Sno-park

The U.S. Forest Service plans to thin the woods west of Bend, including logging on more than 14,500 acres. The project would also include brush mowing and prescribed fire.

The U.S. Forest Service plans to thin the woods west of Bend, including logging on more than 14,500 acres. The project will also include brush mowing and prescribed fire.