Flurry of activity at Mount Spokane

Forest “doctors” are using chainsaws this fall to improve the health of Mount Spokane State Park.

The work is designed to enhance habitat while removing forest fuels that can cause dangerous wildfires.

“We had a meeting up here Monday to show interested people what we were doing and that eased their fears,” said Steve Christensen, park manager. “They thought we were logging, but we’re just thinning, primarily small grand fir that’s taking over in some places.”

Washington State Parks officials have been planning the forest health project in the 13,821-acre park since 2006, said Rob Fimbel, the agency’s chief of natural resource stewardship.

Although only 50-60 acres will be treated this fall, plans call for thinning on about 1,000 acres primarily on the southwest side of the mountain, Fimbel said.

“Most people won’t even know we’ve been in there,” Fimbel said. “Primarily, we’re removing small grand fir less than 5 inches in diameter that create a potential ladder for fire to climb into the forest canopy.

“We’ll leave patches untouched with the goal to maintain or improve wildlife habitat as we go.”

The planning effort surveyed 4,200 acres of the park, by about 75 percent of that area was considered too rugged or inaccessible to treat, he said.

“Basically, we might cause more problems than we would solve by going in there,” he said. “In the future, we might prescribe small areas for fire.”

First snow: Tuesday marked the first work day of the season for Mount Spokane State Park snow plows. “We had to get out and clear about three inches of snow off the roads,” Christensen said.

Washington Sno-Park permits will be required on vehicles at park trailheads starting around Thanksgiving, he said.

Nordic trail helpers: There’s still time to join volunteers meeting today at Mount Spokane starting at 9 a.m. and working into the afternoon for one last stab at clearing brush from the park’s cross-country ski trails before winter.

The Spokane Nordic Ski Education Foundation has organized numerous work grips this fall to cut firewood and prepare the 30 kilometers of trails for snow-cat grooming.