Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

2016 Accomplishment Overview

Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

USDA

Forest 

Service

Pacific 

Northwest

Region

OkanoganWenatchee

National Forest

United States Department of Agriculture
Lake

Wenatchee

Pasayten Wilderness

Lake Chelan

Sawtooth

Wilderness

Lake Chelan

 National

 Recreation

 Area

Rainy

Pass

Ross Lake

National

Recreation

Area

Glacier

Peak

Wilderness

Henry M.

Jackson

Wilderness

Alpine

Lakes

Wilderness

Norse Peak

Wilderness

William O.

Douglas

Wilderness

Goat Rocks

Wilderness Wilderness Areas within 

Okanogan-Wenatchee NF

National Forest

National Forest Offices

Major Highways

Major Rivers



Tonasket

METHOW VALLEY

RANGER DISTRICT

ENTIAT

RANGER

DISTRICT

WENATCHEE RIVER

RANGER DISTRICT

CLE ELUM

RANGER DISTRICT

NACHES

RANGER

DISTRICT

CHELAN

 RANGER

 DISTRICT

TONASKET

RANGER DISTRICT

Winthrop

Twisp

Omak

Okanogan

Chelan

Entiat

Leavenworth

Cle Elum

Naches

Forest

Headquarters

Wenatchee

Okanogan-Wenatchee

National Forest

Ellensburg

Pateros

Brewster

Oroville

Yakima

Loup

Loup

82

WASHINGTON

5

5

Seattle

Everett

Olympia

Spokane

Wenatchee

Okanogan

Yakima

2 2

90

90

Location Map

97

97

97

97

2

12

82 12

20

410

153

20

97A

Lake Wenatchee

97A

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service is a 

diverse organization committed to equal opportunity in employment 

and program delivery. USDA prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, 

color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political affiliation and 

familial status. Persons believing they have been discriminated against 

should contact the Secretary, US Department of Agriculture, Washington, 

DC 20250, or call 202-720-7327 (voice), or 202-720-1127 (TTY).
About the Forest

The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest 

encompasses more than 4-million acres in 

Washington state and stretches north to south 

from the Canadian border to the Goat Rocks 

Wilderness - a distance of about 180 miles. The 

forest lies east of the Cascade Crest, which defines 

its western boundary. The eastern edge of the 

forest extends into the Okanogan highlands, then 

south along the Okanogan and Columbia Rivers, 

and then to the Yakima River valley. Because 

of this wide geographic range, the forest is very 

diverse - from the high, glaciated alpine peaks 

along the Cascade Crest and the numerous 

mountain ranges extending eastward from the 

crest, through deep, lush valleys of old growth 

forest, to the dry and rugged shrub-steppe country 

at its eastern edge. Elevations range from below 

1,000 ft. to over 9,000 ft. Precipitation varies 

widely – from more than 70-inches along the crest 

to less than 10-inches at its eastern edge. This of 

course greatly affects the forest and vegetation 

types across the area.

Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

2016 Accomplishment Report

Connect With Us

Restoration Strategy

Scientific studies have shown the forest is 

experiencing uncharacteristically severe fires, 

insect infestations, disease epidemics, habitat loss 

and hydrologic events that cause massive erosion. 

Scientists generally agree active, landscape-scale 

restoration is needed if the Forest is to become 

resilient to these threats. 

The Restoration Strategy helps managers 

prioritize finite land management resources, while 

comparing historic, current and future forest 

conditions in a warming climate. This streamlines 

project planning, helping managers to treat more 

acres faster. 

Restoration Strategy activities include prescribed 

fire, repairing or closing roads, thinning forests, 

removing invasives and much more.

www.facebook.com/OkaWenNF

twitter.com/OkaWenNF 

flickr.com/photos/forestservicenw/albums

youtube.com/usdaForestService

www.fs.usda.gov/okawen 
Coming together is a beginning; 

keeping together is progress; 

working together is success. 

– Henry Ford

The Buck Creek Fire helps restore forest health 

near Trinity, Washington in August 2016

Photo © Brandon Matson
Increased Restoration 

through Stewardship

I

n 2016, the Forest awarded the Dry 

Restoration Stewardship Contracts to the 

Yakama Nation through the Tribal Forest 

Protection Act (TFPA). The contract includes 

over 500 acres of commercial thinning to 

improve forest health and reduce megafire 

risk across the landscape where Forest 

Service lands are adjacent or border Indian 

trust lands near Naches, WA. In addition to 

thinning, overall Forest health will also be 

improved through aquatic restoration efforts 

and sediment reduction. This contract is the 

culmination of years of effort on the part of the 

Forest and the Yakima Nation with the Tapash 

Collaborative and the Tapash Collaborative 

Forest Landscape Restoration (CFLR) project. 

Additionally, this is the first sale the Tribe has 

purchased from the Forest and the first TFPA 

sale the Forest has awarded.

“The TFPA authority and the Anchor Forest initiative 

have come together beautifully with the Dry Contract 

where both the Tribe and the Forest Service recognize a 

mutually beneficial relationship.” 

–Steve Andringa

Yakama Nation Administrative Forester

Forest Silviculture and Thinning 

77,147 CCF or 39.855 million board feet sold

13,343 cords of firewood sold

1,127 acres of seedlings planted to reforest burned areas
Key Purchases Increase 

Watershed Protection

Akey partnership with The Nature 

Conservancy has allowed the Forest 

to conserve thousands of acres and leverage 

funding to assist in large scale restoration 

efforts. In 2016 the Forest received Land and 

Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) monies to 

acquire two key parcels near the crest of the 

Cascades on the Forest near the community of 

Cle Elum, Washington. The project involved 

a partnership with support from The Nature 

Conservancy and several other organizations 

in order to purchase 1,163 acres of timberland 

in the Cascades. The Forest is also moving 

forward on the next phase of acquisition to 

purchase an additional 1,920 acres from TNC 

in early FY17. Before these acquisitions, the 

agency was unable to complete much needed 

restoration projects in this watershed. 

Photo © John Marshall

Forest Economic Impacts

The Forest contributes to more than 2,000 jobs 

in recreation in local communities, contributing 

approximately $89 million in annual income.

Across Washington, outdoor recreation generates: 

$1.6 billion in state and local tax revenue

$7.1 billion in wages and salaries

$22.5 billion in consumer spending
An essential mission of the Forest is to 

serve the communities and people who 

utilize public lands. As a part of fulfilling this 

mission, a new dock located at Prince Creek 

Campground on Lake Chelan was constructed 

to provide year-round access for Forest 

visitors. The old dock was closed down in 

late May 2016 after approximately 30 years 

of service. The orientation of the new dock, 

parallel to the shore, will provide for wind 

protection of personal recreation boats on the 

inside, while allowing for the ferries to dock 

along the outside. 

Providing Sustainable Recreation

This will significantly expand access to the 

Lakeshore Trail during prime backpacking 

seasons in the spring and fall. Funds used to 

build the new Prince Creek Dock were made 

possible through grants from the Public Lands 

Highways Discretionary Program and the 

Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Park program and 

through the Chelan PUD via the Lake Chelan 

Settlement Agreement.

Forest Recreation and 

Special Uses

 Approximately 3 Million Visitors a Year

 Over 5,880 Miles of Trails

 8 Wilderness Areas totaling 1.5 million acres

 4 Downhill Ski Areas

 133 developed Campgrounds

 5 Recreation Rental Cabins

 682 Recreation Residences
Forest Health: 

Wildfire and Disease Readiness

I

n a dense, overstocked, disease and 

wildfire prone forest near the Canadian 

border, another small tree crashes to the 

forest floor. As crews move in to cut and pile 

the woody material, the sights and sounds 

of restoration are everywhere; piles to be 

burned in the future dot the landscape while 

elsewhere a skidder pulls select trees to a 

landing to be milled. This implementation 

work began in 2016 on the Joint Chief’s 

Landscape Restoration Partnership in the 

Tonasket, Washington area. This project area 

is classified as Forest Health Hazard Warning 

area and is a Washington State priority area 

for mitigating forest health and wildfire risks. 

Partners in the effort include the Confederated 

Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation, 

Okanogan Conservation District, National 

Resource Conservation District, North Central 

Washington Forest Health Collaborative and 

Washington State Department of Natural 

Resources.

After

In the first year, critical thinning, ladder fuel 

reduction and piling of hazardous fuels was 

completed on almost 3,200 acres and next 

year an additional 2,000 acres are planned 

with more into 2018. 

To the south, on national forest lands directly 

adjacent to Colville Confederated Tribal 

lands, the scope and scale of these restoration 

projects will increase with the implementation 

of an additional 300 acres per year of 

restoration work over the coming three years 

as part of a Participating Agreement under the 

Tribal Forest Protection Act.

Before

Canada Lynx
Stream Restoration Supports 

Threatened and Endangered Fish

On a crisp spring morning, steam rises 

from the clear waters of the Chewuch 

River north of the community of Winthrop. A 

sole angler tries their luck catching trout as the 

fly fishing line skims the top of the water. For 

generations, the Chewuch River in the Methow 

Valley was a popular fishing destination for 

steelhead, bull trout and spring chinook. 

However, past unsustainable timber harvest, 

wildfires, grazing and road building, have 

resulted in an impaired watershed with high 

water temperatures, a lack of needed woody 

material, and prone to sediment fluctuations.

Now efforts are underway in 

this key watershed to lead to 

the eventual recovery and 

delisting of threatened and 

endangered species in the 

watershed and re-establish 

healthy and productive 

fisheries for future 

generations. In 2016 

after several years of 

community engagement and analysis, the 

Chewuch Transportation Plan Decision Notice 

was signed. The decision will decommission 

approximately 95 miles of unsustainable 

or unneeded roads and hydrologically 

disconnect another 130 miles of road through 

Maintenance Level 1 road closures. These 

efforts are designed to restore critical aquatic 

habitat, decrease sedimentation, and restore 

the vibrancy of this river.

Forest Aquatics, Watersheds 

and Wildlife

 12 miles of stream were improved

 12 acres of lake habitat were improved 

 730 acres of soil and watershed improved

 There are 9 Threatened and Endangered 

species on the forest
Clean Water for Future Generations

Toxic brown sludge dissipates out of 

Railroad Creek water inside a new water 

treatment plant at the Holden Mine site west 

of the community of Chelan, Washington. 

Dense and chalky, the material contains acid 

mine runoff that for decades flowed freely into 

Lake Chelan and the greater Columbia River 

system. This year, the legacy of over 50 years 

of acid mine runoff (including heavy metals 

such as copper, cadmium, aluminum and zinc) 

from the abandoned copper mine into the 

adjacent Railroad Creek has been controlled. 

The Holden Mine Remediation project west of 

the community of Chelan, is one of the largest 

and most logistically challenging mine cleanups on National Forest Lands. 

Over the last five years of remediation work, 

more than nine million tons of tailings 

and 250,000 tons of waste rock piles have 

been re-shaped and contoured to prevent 

contaminated tailings from entering Railroad 

Creek. Additionally the historic mine entrance 

has been sealed off and a system to collect and 

transport contaminated surface and ground 

water has been constructed which included 

a 1,000 feet long 3-5 feet wide and up to 90 

feet deep underground barrier wall. In 2016 

a mine water treatment plant was completed 

to bring the contaminated water to a standard 

that is safe and protective of aquatic life in 

Railroad Creek.
Maintaining & Improving 

Safe Forest Access

I

n November and December of 2015, the 

Pacific Northwest was hit with a series of 

storms that contributed to significant runoff 

and damage to roads across the Forest. Nearly 

60 potential sites throughout the Forest were 

identified to be reviewed and documented for 

Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads 

(ERFO). 26 sites qualified for ERFO funding, 

with the remaining sites determined to be 

heavy project maintenance for Forest road 

crew or by task order contracts. 

Road crews spent a large portion of their 

efforts completing Burned Area Emergency 

Response (BAER) projects from the 

devastating 2015 megafires. BAER work 

included constructing drainage improvements 

to accommodate expected post-fire runoff, 

gate installations, and temporary stabilization 

measures. Additionally, crews addressed 

numerous emergency road repairs after a 

heavy spring runoff and accomplished a large 

portion of the regular maintenance plans. 

Forest Roads

 In 2016, over 650 miles of roads 

received maintenance and/or 

improvements. 
Managing Fire for Forest Health

Smoke rises up from brush and down 

trees burning along the forest floor west 

of Naches, Washington. Firefighters carefully 

monitor the low and moderate intensity fire 

behavior as the prescribed burn continues 

throughout the day. This burn and many like 

it across the Forest are part of a larger effort 

to return good fire to the dry-fire adapted 

landscape of the eastern Cascades. After many 

years of fire exclusion, an ecosystem that 

needs periodic fire becomes unhealthy. Trees 

are stressed by overcrowding; fire-dependent 

species disappear; and flammable fuels build 

up and become hazardous. However, the right 

fire at the right place at the right time helps 

maintain healthy forests, communities and 

watersheds. 

Forest Fire Management

 More than 13,000 acres of fuel reduction 

were completed across the Forest. 

 76 wildfires

 5,202 acres burned
Hundreds of cars, trucks and commercial 

trailers rush through a new wildlife 

overcrossing along Interstate-90 near Cle 

Elum, Washington. Above them, wildlife 

now have the opportunity to access forest 

habitat on either side of the busy Interstate 

without fences, pavement or moving vehicles 

to stop their movement. Throughout 2016 

the Snoqualmie Pass East Project continued 

to demonstrate effective planning to meet 

both the needs of highway users and wildlife 

when good collaboration occurs with project 

planning, design, and implementation. 

Removing Barriers for Wildlife

Several major accomplishments were achieved 

in 2016 including the continued design to 

install three wildlife overcrossings (land 

bridges 150 feet wide), 12 large undercrossings 

(120 to 900 feet long bridges), and numerous 

smaller bridges and culverts. This work will 

provide for wildlife and aquatic organism 

passage; reduce the risk of wildlife/vehicle 

encounters; and restore the connectivity of all 

hydrologic features, streams, and wetlands. 

Efforts also continued to collect local native 

plant materials and restore native plant 

communities within the Interstate corridor.

Washington State Department of Transportation 

illustration of I-90 wildlife bridge overcrossing

Forest Wildlife Projects

 61,800 acres of wildlife habitat improvement

 17,651 acres of non-native wildlife removal

 18 species and 1,285 individual hawks counted 

at annual Chelan Ridge HawkWatch event

 73 beavers were relocated to 27 sites.
Preserving the Past for the Future

I

n 1923, a wooden fire lookout tower 

was built high atop North Twentymile 

Peak. Restoration of the North Twenty 

Mile D-6 cupola lookout continued in the 

summer of 2016. Donating their time and 

materials, volunteers completed the in-kind 

roof replacement and shutter restoration. 

Restoration of this rare lookout is complete 

but for exterior painting. The D-6 cupola 

lookout was constructed in 1923 and is one of 

nine remaining D-6 lookouts out of more than 

200 built in the Northwest.

Heritage and Archaeology 

Projects

 Seven priority heritage asset site 

condition assessments

 Six public archaeology projects across 

multiple districts

 Over 200 hours of volunteer time
I

n April of 2016 the Forest hired 

reforestation contractors to plant 144,000 

seedlings across 833 acres impacted by 

the 2014 Mills Canyon Wildfire. The Arbor 

Day Foundation contributed approximately 

$65,000 towards the purhase of tree seedlings 

for this project. The seedlings were propagated 

at the Forest Service operated tree nursery in 

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

The need for this revegetation effort was a 

result of the Mills Canyon Fire that burned 

over 22,000 acres in 2014. This was the 

second wildfire in recent history affecting the 

Mills Canyon drainage, the first was the 1988 

Dinkelman Fire. The twice-burned landscape 

currently has very few seed producing conifers 

and the natural establishment of conifers 

would take many decades.

Seedlings Bring New Life 

to Megafire Scar
USDA

Forest 

Service

United States Department of Agriculture

Pacific 

Northwest

Region

OkanoganWenatchee

National Forest