Forest health treatment to begin at Riverside State Park

SPOKANE – This spring, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will complete a 340-acre forest health treatment in the area immediately north of Seven Mile Road in Riverside State Park.

This project will help reduce wildfire risk within the park and promote a healthy and resilient forest by reducing the amount of wildfire fuels. It will also remove unhealthy trees from the ecosystem.

Work will begin in April and end on June 30, weather dependent. There will be heavy equipment moving in and out of the work area, so trailheads and trails within the project area will be closed for the duration of the project.

Closures include:

• Approximately two miles of the Centennial Trail, from the Carlson Trailhead to the McLellan Trailhead
• The McLellan and Deep Creek trailheads
• Portions of Trail 25, 230, 400, 402, 403 and the entire Osprey Loop

Trail closures will be posted with signage. Please respect these closures for your safety and the safety of the people working to reduce wildfire risk in our forests.

Following the forest health thinning project, State Parks will begin any needed trail rehabilitation on trails impacted by the heavy equipment. We anticipate all trails will reopen by fall.

For the most up to date information on the Riverside Forest Health project and a map of the project area, please visit the Riverside Forest Health project page.