Trail maps help cure wanderlust

Photo: Randy Warnock/DNR

Restless? Well, short of winning the lottery, or getting those backstage passes to your favorite band’s next concert, maybe a trip out into the wilds of one of the state’s many scenic trails is the answer. The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) oversees hundreds of miles of trails traversing thousands of acres of managed land throughout this beautiful state. We have 20 colorful trail maps showing recreation sites such as picnic areas, restrooms, campgrounds, trailheads, parking and roads. All of this information is draped over a shaded relief background, depicting the local terrain. Whether your mode of transportation is two feet, four feet , two wheels or four, each trail map clearly shows what uses are allowed at each location. So, if you’re ready to get out and enjoy some awesome countryside, rain or shine, we’ve got the maps. They’re downloadable and FREE. Visit our DNR website to view our trail map series as well as other photo and map products.

Storm damage closes sections of DNR trails in Olympic Peninsula

Please be extra cautious if you’re heading out to Foothills ORV or Sadie Creek/4×4 trail systems in Clallam County. Last week’s storm did extensive damage to the Olympic Peninsula, including some areas managed by DNR. Downed trees and limbs have littered sections of the trails, and some of the trails have been washed out. DNR asks that you be safe and don’t try to cut or clear trail debris yourself. Crews are in the area clearing trails and will get them reopened in the next couple of weeks. Learn more: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/RecreationEducation/News/Pages/nr09_184.aspx

 

Cutting firewood on DNR-managed state trust lands

Some state trust lands are open for personal fire wood gathering at timber harvest sites but only with advance permission from DNR. Note: the many safety precautions in this sort-of-candid photo: fire extinguisher, shovel, gloves, safety glasses, ear protection, spark arrestor for the chainsaw. Photo: DNR

People often ask DNR if they can cut their own firewood on forested state trust lands. Generally, we provide places for the public to cut firewood from downed wood, or slash, following timber harvests. Unfortunately, several factors are reducing these opportunities.

We allow firewood cutting only when a trust lands timber harvest area has enough leftover down wood or slash to make it worthwhile for you to go all the way out there. Timber harvesting has decreased during the current recession, so there are fewer sites to find this left-behind wood.

Because DNR manages forested state trust lands for habitat as well as revenue production, a certain amount of the snags, downed wood and stumps left after a timber harvest must remain for habitat — a key component of our State Trust Lands Habitat Conservation Plan.

And finally, the commercial timber harvesters buying trust lands timber use more of the branches and stumps these days, so there’s less left for people to gather for firewood.

Save this DNR woodcutting permit web page. We update it when opportunities become available. It also has instructions for where and what to cut.

Some of the National Forests in Washington may allow firewood gathering for personal use. Contact the district office for where you want to gather the wood. Major National Forests in Washington state are the Colville, Gifford Pinchot, Okanogan-Wenatchee, Olympic, and  Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie. And there’s also the Bureau Land Management which provides permits at its offices in Spokane  and Wenatchee .

Biomass: An old fuel gets new attention

This article today from the Associated Press discusses the various issues raised about biomass in the upper Midwest where wood-based biomass conversion projects are starting up. Here in Washington, Commissioner of Public Lands’ Peter Goldmark’s forest biomass initiative laid the groundwork for successful legislation last spring authorizing DNR to conduct two biomass demonstration projects — one on the eastside and one on the westside. More details are due in coming weeks about DNR’s evolving partnership with private industry with the technology to convert forest products like wood into energy. In addition to creating renewable energy, the payoff can  include saving money on fire supression, improving forest health (by thinning over-crowded and unhealthy tree stands) and creating jobs.

House Bill 2165 authorizes DNR to conduct a forest biomass energy demonstration project.

Goldmark briefs school directors on DNR’s revenue role

Completing his remarks to the annual conference of the Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA) about an hour ago, was Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark. In his luncheon address at the WSSDA meeting in Seattle today, Goldmark explained how DNR manages about 1.7 million acres of state land for the Common School Trust. DNR’s managment of timber harvests and leases of agriculture and commercial lands has raised just over $1 billion for public school construction between 2000 and 2009 — $3.5 billion since 1970. Goldmark also briefed the school directors on the various challenges DNR faces, including a recession that has depressed the prices for timber sales that produce a large portion of DNR’s revenue for school construction statewide.

E-green… Stop the Invasion

Many state agencies are working to combat invasive species–plants, weeds, vines, and even wildlife that crowd out native species. Now there is one place to see information on the state’s worst invaders, report sightings you have while out hiking or biking, or order free educational caribeneers, posters, and pens. Visit the Web site at www.invasivespecies.wa.gov or call the hotline, 1-877-9-INFEST, to report those nasty invaders.

Invasive species are plants and animals that are not native to Washington. They can crowd out local wildlife and plants, destroying entire landscapes? If left unchecked, they can change how Washington looks and what wildlife lives here. Invasive plants and weeds can devastate farming, fishing and other businesses that depend on the state’s natural resources. They also can affect where and how people can recreate in the state’s lakes, rivers and Puget Sound. In Washington, state agencies spend an estimated $28 million every two years to control and prevent the spread of invasive species.

DNR has increased its effort to control noxious weeds on the 2.6 million acres of state-owned aquatic lands it manages. To maximize efforts of the invasive species program, DNR has joined forces with other agencies and organizations on weed control projects like the Spartina Eradication Project in Willapa Bay where today it’s estimated that 99 percent of the total infestation has been treated.

Why does DNR collect landslide data?

This small landslide blocked a main road (Pacific Way) west of the Cowlitz County town of Kelso last January. Even small landslides like this one can block roads and damage houses. Photo: DNR

Washington is landslide territory. Every winter, landslides across Western Washington block roads, damage homes and infrastructure. They can even cause injuries and fatalities. DNR geologists collect data about these landslides, documenting the location, damage and site conditions including landslide process, slope gradient, land use, specific time of occurrence, and other critical data. These data, along with other studies, are compiled into our GIS statewide landslide database (accessible on our Interactive Map), which has over 45,000 recorded landslides. That database makes up about 2 percent to 3 percent of the landmass of Washington State.

Data from the landslide database are used in a variety of ways:

• Land management decisions
• Land use decisions
• Real estate purchases
• Timber harvests
• Siting and construction of homes, other structures, roads and other infrastructure.

Landslide data are also used to create landslide hazard and susceptibility maps. These maps show areas with various levels of instability (usually from low to high instability) and help to simplify the assessment of a location’s hazard. Landslide data can also be used in landslide forecasting. DNR is working with the University of Washington and the National Weather Service to develop a statewide landslide forecasting system, similar to the system created by the USGS for the Seattle Area. 

Data are critical to understanding landslides in Washington State. A landslide changes quickly after it happens: earth is washed away, settles, or is removed when it blocks a roadway. For the highest level of accuracy, data need to be collected as soon as possible after the event.

Here is how you can help. No matter where you are, if you see a landslide, please report it. Follow the DNR’s How to Report a Landslide, fill out the form and send it in. Don’t assume we know about a landslide; we’d rather get duplicate reports than get none at all. [Lots more landslide photos--'debris avalanches' is what geologists call them--on DNR's Flickr page.]

Free volunteer training this Saturday

DNR is offering free training for anyone interested in volunteering at DNR’s recreation areas. The training begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday, November 21 at Webster Forest Nursery, 9805 Blomberg St. SE., in Tumwater. Topics covered include: first aid, safe lifting, personal safety, back roads driving, securing loads, maintenance standards, cultural resources, outdoor recreation ethics, information on the updated recreation rules, and tool use, safety and maintenance. Trainings generally run until 3 or 4 p.m. Volunteers on DNR-managed land provide a variety of services, including maintenance and/or monitoring of trail, site and facilities; clearing brush; painting; installing drainage features; repairing trails; and more.

Call Christine Redmond, DNR’s volunteer program coordinator, at 360-902-1632 or christine.redmond@dnr.wa.gov. Or just show up!

Landslides from Nov. 16-17 storm reported to DNR

Stars indicate sites of landslides reported during the Nov. 16-17 storm in Western Washington. Source: DNR

As another storm heads toward Western Washington, here is an update on landslides from the Nov. 16-17 storm as reported to DNR’s Division of Geology and Earth Resources:

• A small landslide occurred in Gig Harbor November 16, damaging a garage and two vehicles. The landslide occurred at 29th Street Court Northwest near Shawnee Drive around 1:30 a.m.
• A couple of other landslides on Nov. 16 included, most notably, one near Hoodsport on US 101 at milepost 324. The road was closed at 9:39 .pm., so the landslide occurred sometime in the 9 p.m. hour. The roadway was closed for a time between mileposts 324 and 330. 
• Another landslide occurred on the Olympic Peninsula on State Route 112 at milepost 2.00. This occurred on November 16 around 1:00 p.m. The roadway was reduced to one lane for a period of time but is now open. [Check the Washington State Department of Transportation website for the latest travel alerts.]
• A landslide occurred four miles north of Carkeek Park on November 17, between 6 a.m. and  7 a.m. The landslide was about 30 feet in length, 4-6 feet deep (mostly brambles and blackberry bushes) and composed of mud (no rock).
• Here are details on the Hoko Road slide. It is located on the 630 road in T31N, R13W, S.5, of Clallam County. The landslide occurred on a hill slope that has been highly modified by road construction. The landslide was discovered by a DNR forester on the Olympic Peninsula.

DNR’s Geology and Earth Resources Division maps landslides in Washington to help discover their causes. The maps also help local governments, homeowners and others to understand where landslides have occurred in the past.

State geologist explains DNR response to Nile Landslide

Washington State Geologist Dave Norman discusses the recent Nile Valley Landslide on TVW. To find Norman's segment at 21:50 minutes into the broadcast, use the slider control at the bottom of the screen (shown in this still image). Photo: TVW

TVW host Jessica Gao interviewed State Geologist Dave Norman last Saturday about the recent Nile Landslide and how DNR maps and monitors landslides–big and small– throughout the state.

Norman’s interview starts at 21:50 minutes into this webcast on the TWV website. Use the slider control at the bottom of the screen image (as shown in this still image) to find the 21:50 mark.

The Naches River Valley, near the south-central Washington town of Nile, was the site of a large landslide on October 11, 2009, that blocked Highway 410. The landslide also affected more than 80 acres, damaged several homes and diverted the Naches River. DNR recently issued an emergency suspension order to prevent a mining operator at the site from resuming operations. Highway 410 remains blocked as geologists look for the cause of one of the largest landslides in recorded history in Washington. See DNR photos of the Nile Landslide’s aftermath.