1

for the greatest good

REGION

pacific northwest

ANNUAL

REPORT 

United States Department of Agriculture
3

FOREST SERVICE PACIFIC NORTHWEST REGION 

24

million 

acres

16

National 

Forests

2

National Volcanic 

Monuments

1

National 

Scenic Area

1

National 

Grassland

3,500 permanent employees | 2,000 seasonal employees | 6 Job Corps centers

for the greatest good

ABOUT THE REGION

The Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region 

manages more than 24 million acres of 

federal land in Washington and Oregon. 

These national forest lands provide timber 

for people, forage for cattle, habitat for fish, 

plants, and animals, and some of the best 

recreation opportunities in the United States.

OUR MISSION

To sustain the health, diversity, and 

productivity of the Nation’s forests and 

grasslands to meet the needs of present 

and future generations.
THANKS FROM 

THE REGIONAL 

FORESTER 

Across the Pacific Northwest, you’ll find 

Forest Service employees engaged in 

work that crosses a variety of programs 

and disciplines, from forestry, recreation, 

hydrology, education, and more. Wherever 

they are, whatever their work, our 

employees are “caring for the land and 

serving people.”

That’s our motto and also our commitment 

as stewards of these public lands.

The 24 million acres of National Forest 

land in Oregon and Washington provide 

economic opportunities, jobs, world-class 

recreation, clean drinking water, and more.

This annual report highlights just a portion 

of the countless benefits our National 

Forests are delivering to people and 

communities in the Pacific Northwest, 

and beyond.

As you review our region’s 2017 

accomplishments, I hope you’ll keep in 

mind – as we do – that none of this work 

could be accomplished without close, 

productive relationships with engaged 

communities and partners. 

We look forward to strengthening these 

relationships and building on the progress 

we’ve made to continue caring for the 

land and serving people, together, in 2018 

and beyond.

Best,

5

Jim Peña

U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region

Delivering Benefits ... 6

Restoration ... 10

Working Together ... 14

Connecting People to the Outdoors ... 18

Sustainable Recreation ... 22

Fire Management ... 26

Forest Planning ... 30

Infrastructure ... 34

Looking to the Future ... 38
DELIVERING BENEFITS

DELIVERING BENEFITS HIGHLIGHTS 2017

581

million board feet 

of timber harvested 

(420m in OR, 161m 

in WA), enough to 

build 34,000 homes

7,000 private sector jobs 

in OR and WA 

supported from 

timber sold from 

national forest lands

$13

million to states 

from from Forest 

Service management 

activities ($10m to 

OR and $3m to WA)

259,000

tons of biomass for 

energy production 

produced with a 

market value of 

$17 million

4,365

land special use 

authorizations 

administered across 

the region in Oregon 

and Washington

DELIVERING BENEFITS

Contributing to the Communities of 

the Pacific Northwest

Above: A crane and 

excavator work to 

remove the longobsolete Mill Pond Dam 

in the Sullivan Creek 

Watershed on the Colville 

National Forest. 

Left: Timber sales 

support agency strategic 

objectives to foster 

resilient, adaptive 

ecosystems.

Protecting Drinking Water 

This year, the Forest Service and 

partners funded 12 watershed 

restoration projects totaling more than 

$680,000 in 10 counties in Oregon and 

Washington as part of the Drinking 

Water Providers Partnership. This 

collaborative effort forms ties between 

municipal water providers and other 

partners to provide clean, cold, costeffective water to towns and cities by 

maintaining or improving the water 

through restoration projects in the 

watershed. More than a third of the 

water in Oregon and Washington is 

sourced from national forest lands.

Mill Pond Dam Removal on the 

Colville National Forest

To improve native fish habitat in the 

Sullivan Creek Watershed, Seattle City 

Light and Pend Oreille Public Utility 

District agreed to remove the longobsolete Mill Pond Dam. Work began 

in summer 2017 to restore the natural 

ecosystem with low-gradient braided 

stream channels, log jams, and riparian 

vegetation. A new recreation trail will 

be built around the former pond. The 

Historic Mill Pond day-use site and Mill 

Pond Campground will be improved 

with amenities like an accessible picnic 

pavilion, fireplace and improved parking. 

Mine Clean-up Restores Landscape; 

Contributes Millions to Local Economy

For the first time in nearly 60 years, 

clean water is flowing in Chelan 

County’s Railroad Creek on the 

Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, 

thanks to the Holden Mine Remediation 

project. Abandoned in 1957, the Holden 

Mine contaminated groundwater with 

toxic metals and polluted downstream 

waters in the creek, a major tributary to 

Lake Chelan. Rio Tinto, a global mining 

company, inherited the responsibility 

for the cleanup and is funding the 

clean-up while working with the Forest 

Service and other partners on the 

remediation effort. Personnel, lumber, 

fuel, and other materials and equipment 

for the project were sourced in nearby 

communities, producing an estimated 

$240 million dollars of economic 

contribution to the local economy.

Minerals and Geology Benefit 

Local Projects

In 2017, 92 permits were issued for 

275 tons of rock for use by agencies, 

businesses, and the public. Many 

local community and government 

projects benefit from mineral materials 

obtained from national forest lands. 

7
DELIVERING BENEFITS

In 2017, the Okanogan-Wenatchee 

National Forest provided 125,000 tons 

of rock to the Washington Department 

of Transportation for Interstate 90 

improvements, with an estimated value 

of $110,000. Other federal, state, tribal, 

and county governments were provided 

approximately 165,000 tons of mineral 

materials for projects, valued at more 

than $450,000. 

Expanding Wood Innovation

In May, the Forest Service announced 

over $8 million in grants to substantially 

expand and accelerate wood products 

and wood energy markets. Five projects 

in Oregon and three in Washington 

received funding. These efforts help 

remove hazardous fuels from forests to 

improve forest health and reduce the 

risk of wildfire, as well as create jobs for 

local communities.

Providing Energy 

Modernizing Online Permits

The Columbia River Gorge National 

Scenic Area launched a new digital 

system allowing visitors to pay 

recreation fees with their smartphone. 

The Gifford Pinchot National Forest 

created an online system for huckleberry 

and mushroom permits. Several units 

across the Pacific Northwest have pilot 

projects underway to modernize other 

online permitting systems.

Special Forest Products

In 2017, more than $1.8 

million worth of special 

forest products were sold 

($929,775 in Oregon and 

$887,768 in Washington). 

34

hydropower 

projects

power 

7 million

homes in the PNW

 

SPECIAL FOREST 

PRODUCTS

56

,281

Christmas tree permits

893

tons of salal & foliage

257

,681

gallons of mushrooms

90

,621

cords of firewood

612,000 board feet of post and poles

59,705 pounds of huckleberries 

2,702 tons of boughs

957 tons of beargrass

89,236 bushels of cones

13,555 of transplants

9
RESTORATION

RESTORATION HIGHLIGHTS 2017

555,592

acres treated to 

restore or enhance 

forest health

723

miles of stream 

habitat restored or 

enhanced

5 

watersheds moved 

to an improved 

condition class

34 

stream crossings 

improved for aquatic 

organism passage

RESTORATION 

Ensuring Resilient and 

Adaptive Ecosystems

Above: As part of the 

Methow Beaver Project 

on the OkanoganWenatchee National 

Forest, more than 300 

beavers have been 

released. After more 

than a century of 

absence, the beavers 

return is helping clean 

water, slow snow melt 

and store water on 

the land, improve fish 

habitat, and reduce 

flood impacts. Left: 

Deer Creek restoration 

efforts on the Willamette 

National Forest. 

Collaborative Forest 

Landscape Restoration 

In 2017, five Collaborative Forest 

Landscape Restoration projects in 

Oregon and Washington supported 

the health and resiliency of forests and 

communities by reducing hazardous 

fuels on more than 73,000 acres, 

improving 76 miles of stream habitat, 

maintaining 132 miles of trails, and 

constructing six stream crossings for 

fish. These five projects also generated 

more than 267 hundred cubic feet 

of timber volume and supported an 

estimated $58 million in local labor 

income through various activities. 

Wildlife Habitat Improvement

In 2017, national forests in Oregon and 

Washington accomplished more than 

394,000 acres of wildlife and wildlife 

habitat conservation projects. This work 

involved 55 different partners who 

contributed more than $2.9 million 

dollars of funds and in-kind labor. 

Restoring Deer Creek Floodplain

More than 200 trees have been placed 

in Deer Creek since restoration efforts 

began to restore this tributary to the 

McKenzie River on the Willamette 

National Forest. A salmon spawning nest 

and wild spring Chinook salmon were 

observed in a restored portion of the 

creek for the first time since 1993.

Fivemile Bell Project

The Siuslaw National Forest and partners 

implemented the fourth phase of the 

Fivemile Bell Project, which included 

recreating the historic stream channel, 

removing dikes to restore the flood plain, 

and planting native plants to prevent soil 

erosion. Accomplishments include 3,000 

feet of new channel construction, 2,000 

feet of channel fill, 150 wood structures 

placed throughout, and 100,000 aquatic 

animals protected through relocation.

Treasured Landscapes

The Okanogan-Wenatchee National 

Forest and the National Forest 

Foundation celebrated completion of the 

Treasured Landscape project with local 

partners and volunteers, while investing 

more than $1.6 million in restoration 

projects in Washington’s Methow Valley. 

Nuisance beavers have been relocated to 

increase groundwater storage, wolverines 

have been tagged and studied, fish habitat 

has been restored, and miles of trails and 

bridges were rehabilitated. Hazardous 

fuels have been reduced and jobs have 

been created – all while making the forest 

more resilient to wildfire.

11
RESTORATION

2017 Rainbow Family of Living Light 

National Gathering

Malheur National Forest employees 

have implemented monitoring and 

rehabilitation plans on lands impacted 

during the 2017 Rainbow Family 

Gathering. The unauthorized event 

attracted more than 13,000 people and 

6,000 pets. Forest crews have spread 

native seed and placed weed-free straw in 

heavily impacted areas to reduce erosion. 

Close coordination with law enforcement 

and local government resulted in insights 

that were applied in several of Oregon’s 

national forests during the “Great 

American Eclipse,” which passed over 

the state later that summer.

Managing Invasive Plants

In 2017, national forests in Oregon and 

Washington cooperated with more than 

100 different partners to control more 

than 52,000 acres of invasive plants. 

Invasive plants replace native vegetation, 

reduce forage for wildlife and livestock, 

increase wildfire risks, and can even be 

fatal to birds and bats. 

Left: A large infestation of Japanese knotweed in Somers Creek in the 

Hells Canyon Wilderness area being treated from horseback. Thanks 

to cooperative work with several partners, this infestation has been 

almost eradicated. Right: Fish biologists survey for native fish. Below: 

As part of the ongoing restoration efforts at the site of the 2017 

Rainbow Gathering, Malheur National Forest employees spread straw 

over damaged areas to prevent erosion over the winter months.

JOINT CHIEFS PROJECTS

Five projects, three in Oregon and two in Washington, 

brought in nearly $8 million to accomplish restoration 

on both federal and non-federal lands through 

partnerships with landowners. JOINT CHIEFS HIGHLIGHT: SALMON SUPERHWY

The Salmon SuperHwy is a Joint Chiefs project 

coordinated by the Forest Service and many federal and 

local partners to restore 180 miles of blocked salmon 

habitat across six rivers in northwest Oregon’s Nestucca 

and Tillamook Bay watersheds. In 2017, two failing 

culverts at county road crossings on Boulder Creek – a 

tributary of the Nestucca River – were replaced with 

bridges that provide a clear path for migrating salmon. 

A culvert at Jewell Creek was also replaced with a 

structure that allows fish to pass.

From left to right: 

Rusted floor of a 

Boulder Creek Culvert; 

Upper Jewell crossing 

outlet prior to project 

implementation; The 

Upper Jewell Bridge 

restored upstream 

fish passage. 

13
WORKING TOGETHER

WORKING TOGETHER HIGHLIGHTS 2017

585 

partnership 

agreements

290 

different 

partners

$123 

million in contributions 

to local economies

$72.5 million in Forest Service contributions leveraged more than 

$64 million in contributions from partners. That means for every dollar 

spent by the Forest Service, partners matched 88 cents!

WORKING TOGETHER 

Accomplishing More by 

Collaborating and 

Leveraging Resources

Above: Columbia River 

High School volunteers 

help with work on 

the Sandy River Delta 

project. Left: A group 

of stakeholders and 

Forest Service staff tour 

a thinning and fuels 

reduction project. 

Supporting Collaboration

In 2017, the Pacific Northwest Region 

invested $147,000 in the Community 

Capacity and Land Stewardship grant 

program to help build capacity and 

strengthen forest collaborative efforts 

to accelerate restoration. The Forest 

Service works with 37 restorationoriented forest collaborative groups 

in the Pacific Northwest, bringing 

together diverse interests to find 

common ground on landscape-scale 

restoration projects.

Advisory Committees 

Strengthen Communities

This year, 16 Secure Rural Schools 

resource advisory committees 

completed their work with National 

Forests in the Pacific Northwest to 

invest in hundreds of projects that 

have been supported with more than 

$17.6 million in Title II funds. Many 

of these projects create employment 

opportunities, especially for local youth.

Pack String and Mustang Integration

In 2017, the Umatilla National 

Forest worked with the Bureau of 

Land Management’s Wild Horse and 

Burro program and Northern Nevada 

Correction Center’s Inmate Saddle 

Horse Training Program to acquire 

several wild mustangs to replenish its 

pack string. Each horse was trained 

by inmates for four months before 

being transferred to the Forest Service. 

The pack string supports a variety of 

projects, such as hauling materials 

and gear to support Forest Service and 

volunteer trail crews, packing sand 

or gravel for trail maintenance, and 

hauling junk out of backcountry areas. 

During fire season, the horses pack out 

smokejumpers battling wilderness fires.

Aerial Survey Program 

The Forest Service, in cooperation 

with the Oregon Department of 

Forestry and Washington Department 

of Natural Resources, surveyed 48 

million forested acres across the Pacific 

Northwest for damage caused by 

insects, disease, and other agents. Since 

1947, the aerial survey program has 

collected information without regard 

to ownership or boundaries, resulting 

in helpful data, maps, and summary 

reports for federal, state, and private 

land managers.

15
WORKING TOGETHER

Combating Sudden Oak Death

Oregon Department of Forestry, the 

Forest Service, and Oregon State 

University have worked in close 

partnership and in cooperation with 

other partners to aggressively eradicate 

and slow the spread of Sudden Oak 

Death on public and private lands. 

Since it was first identified in 2001, over 

6,300 acres have been treated to combat 

this introduced invasive disease.

Forest Health Protection

In 2017, the Forest Service contributed 

to more than 2,400 acres of forest 

health treatments on national forest and 

tribal lands in the Pacific Northwest, 

and 828 acres of bark beetle cost-share 

treatments on state and private lands. 

The Forest Health Protection program 

provides funds to national forests and 

other federal land managers to suppress 

or prevent native insects and diseases 

that kill and weaken trees.

THANK YOU

VOLUNTEERS

3,200

volunteers

330,000

hours of service

$8

million value

LAND ACQUISITIONS 

IMPROVE ACCESS, 

ENHANCE PROTECTION

In 2017, the region acquired eight parcels of land, 

totaling more than 1,500 acres to improve public 

access and protect habitat and watersheds. Four were 

purchases funded by Congress via the Land and Water 

Conservation Fund, three were donations, and one was 

by tripartite land exchange.

Bar M Ranch, 560 acres

Umatilla National Forest

Hurricane Creek, 470 acres Wallowa-Whitman National Forest

Gillette Lake, 273 acres Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area

McGribble, 172 acres Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest 

Schein, 59 acres; Hiscock, 0.13 acres 

Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Bull Creek, 53 acres

Siuslaw National Forest 

Quy, 40 acres Colville National Forest

Umatilla

Rogue River-Siskiyou

Siuslaw

Colville

Columbia River Gorge

Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie

Wallowa-Whitman

acreage not to scale

GOOD NEIGHBOR AUTHORITY

In March 2017, the Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region 

and Washington State Department of Natural Resources 

signed a Good Neighbor Authority agreement to increase 

the pace and scale of forest health and restoration 

projects. The agreement authorizes the Forest Service to 

contract with state agencies for a variety of forest, range, 

and watershed restoration services on national forest 

lands, allowing both agencies to plan and complete 

projects more efficiently. Oregon signed a Good Neighbor 

authority agreement with the Forest Service in 2016.

GOOD NEIGHBOR PROJECTS SINCE 2016

FREMONT-WINEMA

MALHEUR

WALLOWA-WHITMAN

DESCHUTES

MT. HOOD

COLVILLE 

GIFFORD PINCHOT

STATEWIDE

Crooked Mud Honey Thinning Project with ODF

Elk Habitat Improvement & Road Decommissioning with ODFW

Forest-Wide Restoration with ODF

Blue Jay Timber Sale Prep with ODF

Upper Deschutes Basin Fuels Reduction with ODF

Forest and Watershed Restoration with DNR

Bear Creek Restoration with DNR

La Pine WUI Fuels Reduction with ODF

Malheur Fuels Reduction with ODF

Damon Aspen Restoration with ODFW

Wildlife Surveys with ODFW

Forest Restoration Services with ODF

WA Washington Timber Sale Prep with DNR

OR Federal Forest Working Group with ODF 

OR White Nose Syndrome Environmental Sampling with ODFW 

OR Collaborative Project Development with ODF 

17
CONNECTING PEOPLE TO THE OUTDOORS

CONNECTING PEOPLE TO THE OUTDOORS HIGHLIGHTS 2017

75 

partners helped 

leverage resources 

to engage youth

550 

Forest Service 

conservation 

education events

135,000

youth engaged 

through Forest 

Service programs

15.3 

million annual 

recreation visits to 

Forest Service land

176 

Every Kid events 

reached nearly 

22,000 4th graders

CONNECTING PEOPLE 

TO THE OUTDOORS

Welcoming Visitors, Expanding 

Opportunities, and Building 

Stewardship

Above: Muckleshoot 

Tribal youth complete 

stream surveys on the 

Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie 

National Forest. Left:

Benton County 8th 

graders at Marys Peak 

Outdoor School, a full day 

event hosted by Marys 

Peak Alliance on the 

Siuslaw National Forest.

21st Century Conservation Service Corps

In 2017, more than 50 local, regional, 

and national partner organizations 

leveraged nearly $1 million in support 

of Forest Service sponsored crews 

and interns, helping create the next 

generation of conservation stewards 

and leaders. Nearly 1,200 youth and 100 

veterans working as crew members and 

interns performed $4 million of work on 

the ground. Their hours of service were 

equivalent to 95 person-years of work!

Veterans Programs

Our region is proud to offer programs 

that provide valuable work experience 

and exposure to land management 

careers for transitioning service 

members and veterans.

VetsWork: With Mt. Adams Institute, 

our VetsWork participants intern 

on forests to explore careers in 

public lands and natural resources 

management. Projects blend 

hands-on experience with careerspecific training and networking 

opportunities.

Umatilla Veterans Crew: The Umatilla 

National Forest is home to the Forest 

Service’s only 20-person veterans crew. 

With the Mt. Adams Institute and 

Americorps, we employ crew members 

to perform targeted forest thinning. 

Career Skills Program: Now in its 

second year, the Land Management 

Career Skills Program is a partnership 

with Joint Base Lewis-McChord that 

provides Forest Service internships to 

service members transitioning back to 

civilian life. In 2017, the Willamette 

and Siuslaw National Forests employed 

nine veterans through this program.

Oregon Zoo Partnership

This year, the Forest Service formalized 

a partnership with the Oregon Zoo to 

better engage urban populations. With 

most national forests located in rural 

areas, the partnership brings Forest 

Service natural resources work to a 

prominent education center in Oregon’s 

largest urban area. Through the 

partnership, the Forest Service is able 

to provide educational programming 

to people of all ages via urban nature 

overnight trips, Every Kid in a Park 

outreach, Twilight Tuesday events, and 

other outreach opportunities for youth 

and families. 

19
CONNECTING PEOPLE TO THE OUTDOORS

Strengthening Job Corps

The Pacific Northwest Region received a 2017 Chiefs 

Award for strengthening its agreement with the 

region’s six Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers 

in Oregon and Washington. Job Corps directors are 

now formal members of host forest leadership teams, 

to better align national forest needs with nearby Job 

Corps programs, and have expanded the Job Corps 

wildland fire training program. The agreement will 

help national forests accomplish mission-critical 

work on hazardous fuels treatments, invasive 

species removal, and deferred maintenance projects 

on facilities, roads, and trails, while the students 

gain valuable real-world work experience, skillsdevelopment, and leadership opportunities.

Every Kid in a Park Seattle Collaborative

To reach youth in the Puget Sound region, the Mt. 

Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest formed the Every 

Kid in a Park (EKIP) Seattle Collaborative with 

other federal and non-profit partners. The Seattle 

EKIP Collaborative reached 11,928 students in 

2017 through school based conservation programs 

and site visits to public lands. The forest conducts 

a robust winter ecology program that combines 

classroom instruction on the Western Cascade 

ecosystem with snowshoe and eagle-watching 

trips for fourth graders from public schools in 

forest gateway communities and the greater Seattle 

metropolitan area. In 2017, more than 830 youth 

participated in this program.

Young Women’s Natural Resources Career Camp

Each year, Discover Your Forest works with the 

Deschutes national forest to host an overnight 

workshop for young women interested in entering 

the field of natural resources. In partnership with 

land management agencies, we bring students out 

to the field, share our own career experiences, and 

help them identify future education and employment 

opportunities. Each participant camps on the forest 

while attending workshops and participating in 

outdoor education and recreation experiences. 

Since the program began, 45 women have attended 

the camp; many have gone on to spend summers 

working on youth conservation crews or interning 

with forest partners, such as Discover Your Forest 

and Children’s Forest Central Oregon.

Native American Youth Engagement

The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest 

launched Native American crews to better serve 

the youth of the Point Elliott Treaty Tribes. The 

forest hosted youth from the Muckleshoot Tribe 

to engage in culturally relevant conservation 

education projects and help complete Forest 

restoration priorities. The youth supported 

salmon restoration and elk habitat enhancement 

on the forest while learning about potential 

career opportunities.

Supporting Urban and Community Forestry

In 2017, the region supported urban forestry 

assistance to 315 communities through 

partnerships with states and communities. Urban 

forests include parks, street trees, river corridors, 

and greenways. Research shows trees can improve 

the physical and mental health of nearby residents, 

reduce stormwater runoff, improve water quality, 

provide shade that lowers energy costs, filter air 

pollutants, and increase property values. 

Winter Wellness 2017 on Mt. Ashland

In March, the Rogue River-Siskiyou National 

Forest hosted 174 underserved residents of the 

Rogue Valley at Mt. Ashland for a day of skiing, 

snowboarding, and snowshoeing. Funding was 

secured through partner organizations, including 

the Mt. Ashland Association, Children’s Advocacy 

Center, TCC Verizon, and Jackson Care Connect. 

Winter clothing was donated by the Maslow Project 

and several church organizations.

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT IN 

SMALL COMMUNITIES In 2017, the Forest Service, through 

partnerships between the Malheur 

National Forest, North Fork of John 

Day Watershed Council, and Training 

Employment Consortium, was the 

largest employer of youth in Grant 

and Harney counties.

Below: Participants in the 

Young Women’s Natural 

Resources Career Camp.

Above: The Umatilla Veterans 

crew has hired 46 veterans 

in the past four years, 23 of 

whom chose to continue their 

careers with the Forest Service 

or another natural resource 

and land management agency. Left: In 2017, more than 50 

Field Rangers across 11 units, 

made more than 430,000 

visitor contacts throughout the 

season and delivered hundreds 

of programs such as “Junior 

Ranger” swearing-in ceremonies 

and educational programming 

on wildlife, fire, water, fisheries, 

botany, restoration, and more.

21
SUSTAINABLE RECREATION

SUSTAINABLE RECREATION HIGHLIGHTS 2017

$10.8 

million in recreation 

fee revenues 

invested to enhance 

recreation sites

106 

miles of recreation 

trails built, improved, 

or expanded

$2.1 

million in discretionary 

and incentive funds 

invested in 41 projects

50% 

of trail maintenance 

work and funding 

provided by partners 

and volunteers

SUSTAINABLE 

RECREATION

Working toward a more ecologically, 

economically, and socially 

sustainable recreation program

Above: Filson staff join 

the Forest Service for 

a day of stewardship 

on the Mt. BakerSnoqualmie National 

Forest. Left: Siskiyou 

Mountain Club 

Volunteers do trail work 

on the Rogue RiverSiskiyou National Forest

Ready. Set. GOrge! 

The Columbia River Gorge National 

Scenic Area, working with Oregon 

Department of Transportation and other 

partners, launched the “Ready. Set. 

GOrge!” visitor ethics and stewardship 

campaign. The campaign addresses 

growing traffic and visitor congestion, 

especially during the summer months. 

One component established a shuttle 

service from Gateway Transit Center 

and Rooster Rock State Park to high 

visitation areas like Multnomah Falls. 

In the aftermath of the Eagle Creek 

Fire, this partnership and campaign 

expanded to promote economic and 

environmental recovery efforts. 

Completing the Oregon Timber Trail

Forest Service staff worked with Travel 

Oregon and the newly formed Oregon 

Timber Trail Alliance (OTTA) to 

establish the “Oregon Timber Trail,” a 

600+ mile mountain bike trail through 

the Fremont-Winema, Deschutes, 

Willamette, and Mt. Hood National 

Forests and the Columbia River Gorge 

National Scenic Area. This first-ofits-kind route follows existing roads 

and trails already open to mountain 

bike use. OTTA hosted four volunteer 

stewardship weekends in 2017. 

Expanding Access and Opportunities 

with Outfitters and Guides

In 2017, as part of the national and 

regional focus on modernizing our 

recreation special uses program, the 

Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest 

ended a 25-year moratorium on new 

service days on Mt. Baker, completing 

planning to allow an increase in 

outfitter and guide access by more than 

20,000 service days. The Mt. Hood 

National Forest converted currently 

allocated but unused service days on 

Mt. Hood into 18 new outfitting and 

guiding permits, many focusing on 

providing services to youth.

Building Trail Stewardship: 

Collaborating on the Colville

The Colville National Forest expanded 

its investment in shared stewardship 

by empowering the Pacific Northwest 

Trail Association (PNTA) to take on 

a greater role in mutually beneficial 

management and coordination of 

23
SUSTAINABLE RECREATION

volunteers and projects with the Forest’s four 

main trail partners: the Backcountry Horsemen 

of Washington (BHW), Student Conservation 

Association (SCA), Job Corps (JC), and 

Washington Trails Association (WTA). The 

BHW cleared trails to facilitate trail crew 

access. The SCA and three local JC trail crews 

completed trail maintenance. The WTA led 

service trips to restore several popular trails, 

including logging out and removing a derelict 

82’ trail bridge. The PNTA coordination 

allowed all partners to support each other and 

accomplish more overall.

Creative Collaboration to Restore 

the Oregon Dunes 

In 2017, the Siuslaw National Forest and the 

Oregon Dunes Restoration Collaborative began 

implementing the recently completed Dunes 

Restoration Strategy for the Oregon DUnes 

National Recreation Area. They established a 

cooperative weed management area and hosted 

several volunteer events to conduct invasive 

plant removal. The forest also entered into an 

agreement with Oregon State University to 

review and recommend approaches that sustain 

and enhance current and planned recreation 

projects under the strategy while protecting the 

western snowy plover and its habitat. 

Partnership Restores Heybrook Lookout

The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest 

partnered with Filson, a Seattle-based outdoor 

apparel retailer, to restore the Heybrook Lookout 

and, as a result, the public’s ability to rent it 

for an overnight stay. Filson helped fund the 

replacement of the lightning arrestor system 

and Filson staff joined the Forest Service for a 

day of stewardship to remove graffiti from the 

lookout structure and make trail repairs. An 

important fixture in the history of Washington 

State forestry, Heybrook Lookout is one of only 

two fire lookout towers in the state available for 

the public to reserve.

ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTIONS 

TO PACIFIC NORTHWEST 

LOCAL COMMUNITIES

$738

million spent by recreation visitors 

annually in nearby communities 6,080

year-round jobs supported by 

recreation visitor spending

$329

million value added to the economy 

from visitor spending

$210 

million in labor income for local 

businesses and employees

25
FIRE MANAGEMENT

FIRE MANAGEMENT HIGHLIGHTS 2017

264,244 

acres of restoration 

and fuels reduction

700,000 

acres evaluated for 

post-fire recovery 

assessments

120,541 

acres of wild urban 

interface treatment

21,000 

acres reforested by 

Forest Service and 

partners

FIRE MANAGEMENT

Resilient Landscapes; Fire Adapted 

Communities; Safe and Effective 

Wildfire Response

Above: A fern resprouts 

in the Eagle Creek 

burn area. Left: A burn 

operation in Toketee 

Falls, North Umpqua 

Complex.

Contractor Contributions

The Pacific Northwest relies heavily 

on contractors to provide crucial 

resources during fire season. In Oregon 

and Washington, contracting officers 

work with 1,163 vendors for wildfire 

response contracts. Those important 

resources provided 55,271 work days 

on fires in 2017! That adds up to almost 

half of the total contract resource days 

on incidents from 2012-2015. 

New Training to Expand Good Fire Use 

Across State; Protect Communities

For the first time in Washington 

state history, fire managers from nine 

different agencies and partners came 

together in central Washington to learn 

and train in prescribed fire through 

a formal training exchange called 

TREX. Sponsored by the Fire Learning 

Network, TREX is a unique opportunity 

for fire personnel from across the region 

to learn about prescribed fire, land 

management, wildland urban interface, 

and smoke management across agency 

boundaries. The TREX initiative 

included prescribed fire plans for 500 

acres on the Okanogan-Wenatchee 

National Forest, 100 acres of Nature 

Conservancy preserve near Moses 

Coulee, and 50 acres of private lands. 

In this era of megafires, TREX is an all 

hands, all lands approach that brings 

us together across federal, state, tribal, 

and private boundaries. Prescribed 

fire is part of the proactive solution 

to healthier forests. This collaborative 

approach allows sharing of experience 

and learning across geographies and 

agencies as well as improving wildfire 

response and conservation practices.

Fire Prevention Works

With the August 21 Total Solar 

Eclipse expected to draw huge crowds 

to public lands in the heart of fire 

season, land management agencies 

began preparing more than a year in 

advance, placing a heavy emphasis on 

fire prevention. Four fire prevention 

teams who arrived the week of August 

8 had a full slate of eclipse-related fire 

prevention messages and graphics in 

English and Spanish ready to go. The 

teams made over 15,000 contacts in 

591 locations across Oregon, and their 

messages and graphics were widely 

27
FIRE MANAGEMENT

shared on social media. With hot and 

dry conditions, land management 

agencies implemented public use 

restrictions, including campfire bans. 

The result? No known human-caused 

fires of significance started around 

the time of eclipse. When the final 

fire season numbers were tallied, 44 

percent of Oregon’s fires were humancaused, compared with 91 percent in 

Washington this season.

Demonstrating Fuels Reduction 

Effectiveness

More than 300 different vegetation 

treatment areas across the Pacific 

Northwest were impacted by the 

wildfires of 2017. Despite the record 

setting conditions, the majority of these 

treatments either assisted with fire 

control efforts, reduced the severity of 

the fire, or both. Across the region, the 

Forest Service is working with partners 

and communities to carry out more of 

these types of projects to better protect 

communities and give firefighters 

better, safer positions to fight fire and 

protect communities.

Above: Members 

of the Central 

Washington BAER 

Team conduct a 

Burn Severity Field 

Verification at Jolly 

Mountain. Left: A 

helicopter drops water 

on the Jones Fire. 

PROJECT HIGHLIGHT: 

DESCHUTES COLLABORATIVE 

FIRE PROJECT

Thinning, mowing, and prescribed burning paid 

off when the Milli Fire threatened properties 

near Sisters, Oregon this summer. The Deschutes 

Collaborative Fire Project, a hazardous fuels 

reduction project, was implemented on federal 

land west of town in early 2017. When threatened 

by wildfire less than a year later, the landscape 

did not provide the thick vegetation needed to 

sustain and further a high intensity fire, making 

these areas easier for firefighters to defend and 

hold during the blaze.

CAUSE OF FIRES

Human caused in Oregon 44%

Human caused in Washington 91%

Lightning strikes recorded June 1 - September 30, 2017 35,833

Lightning strikes recorded on June 26, 2017 5,756

2017 FIRE SEASON

Firefighters and support personnel mobilized 10,358

Incident management team mobilizations 42

Air resources hours flown 10,868 

Reported fires in the Pacific Northwest 3,351

Fires meeting large fire criteria 126

76 in Oregon and 50 in Washington

Acres burned by wildfire 1,136,943

725,615 in Oregon and 411,328 in Washington

Estimated total firefighting cost 

$ $584,538,984

$453,846,418 in Oregon and $130,692,566 in Washington

U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region 29
FOREST PLANNING

FOREST PLANNING

Learning from the past, 

planning for the future

Above: Planning efforts 

have helped native 

Kokanee salmon return 

to spawning streams. 

Left: Blue Mountains 

Forest Plan revisions will 

support more grazingrelated jobs. 

Blue Mountains Forest Plans Revision

Revised forest plans are being finalized 

for the Blue Mountains national forests 

(Malheur, Umatilla, and WallowaWhitman National Forests) to guide 

how the agency manages 5.5 million 

acres of public land in eastern Oregon 

and southeastern Washington. A final 

revised Forest Plan, Environmental 

Impact Statement, and Biological 

Assessment are being developed 

to incorporate earlier public input 

about pace and scale of restoration, 

livestock grazing, motorized access, 

and wilderness. The revised plans are 

expected to be published for objections 

in early 2018, following Endangered 

Species Act consultation. 

The proposed Blue Mountains forest plan 

revisions will: • Triple the potential timber harvest 

to an estimated 205 million board 

feet per year, compared to the recent 

annual average of 66 million board 

feet (2013-15).

• Support approximately 1,593 timberrelated jobs (up from 

415 jobs).

• Increase cattle-related annual output 

from 242,800 to 294,400 animal unit 

months.

• Support approximately 1,083 grazingrelated jobs (up from 

1,004).

• Increase overall employment to 2,820 

jobs (from 1,563 jobs) attributable to 

national forest management activities.

• Increase income to $114 million per 

year (from $46 million under the 

current plan).

Colville Forest Plan Revision

The 1.1 million acre Colville National 

Forest in northeast Washington is 

finalizing revision of its forest plan, 

enacted in 1988. Working with local 

communities and stakeholders, the 

forest developed a final revised Forest 

Plan, a final Environmental Impact 

Statement, and a Biological Assessment 

in 2017 and is on track to publish a final 

revised Plan in 2018.

The new Colville Forest Plan will: • Increase potential wood sale quantity 

from 41 to 62 million board feet 

annually.

• Support about 500 timber-related jobs 

(up from 330 jobs).

• Provide Ferry, Pend, Oreille, and 

Stevens Counties an estimated $31 

31
FORREST PLANNING

million in labor income annually (up 

from $19 million).

• Contribute 300 jobs in the recreation 

and grazing-related industries, 

with an estimated labor income of 

$5,080,000 annually.

• Establish 75% of the forest as 

management areas suitable for roads 

and 80% of the forest as suitable for 

motorized recreation.

• Provide a new aquatic and riparian 

conservation strategy that modernizes 

direction established by INFISH 

in 1995 while still allowing for 

vegetation restoration and grazing in 

these areas.

• Recommend 62,000 acres for 

wilderness designation, of which 

56,177 acres are already in 

designated Inventoried Roadless 

Area.

2017 NEPA, Objections, FOIA, 

Litigation Program

In 2017: • Almost 600 projects analyzed 

under NEPA.

• 23 projects received 80 objections 

and two highly controversial projects 

received 360 objections. 

• Hosted 19 Administrative 

Review Teams in the fiscal 

year, with 65 Forest/District 

personnel participating.

• Processed 328 FOIA requests. • Provided litigation support for 

24 lawsuits.

• Provided NEPA/ESA training to 60 

people across three different forests, 

Introduction to NEPA training to 30 

people, and one NEPA Team Leader 

training to 25 people.

• Provided Litigation, Administrative 

Review, and FOIA training on four 

forests for 80 people.

Top: Salmo-Priest 

Wilderness, Colville 

National Forest. Right: 

Umatilla National 

Forest timber sale. 

Below: Cattle graze at 

Tiger Meadows, Colville 

National Forest

Northwest Forest Plan

In 1994, the Northwest Forest Plan 

initiated a new landscape approach 

to federal land management, 

amending forest plans on 24 million 

acres across northern California, 

Oregon, and Washington. Its 

purpose is to protect threatened and 

endangered species that rely on late 

successional and old-growth habitats 

while contributing to social and 

economic sustainability. A science 

synthesis to inform our approach to 

updating the Northwest Forest Plan 

is underway and will be finalized 

in 2018. Planning is underway for a 

bioregional assessment to consider 

the broad and interconnected 

landscape of social, economic, and 

ecological systems through the 

Northwest Forest Plan area.

NORTHWEST FOREST PLAN

HIGHLIGHTS

Completed public input and peer 

review of the draft Northwest Forest Plan 

Science Synthesis.

Developed strategy to initiate the 

bioregional assessment.

Secured funding to maintain and expand 

the Northwest Forest Plan Social and 

Economic Monitoring, which will also aid 

the Bioregional Assessment process.

Continued to complete yearly Northwest 

Forest Plan monitoring including annual 

northern spotted owl demographic 

surveys on eight study areas and 

watershed surveys on 20 watersheds.

33
INFRASTRUCTURE

INFRASTRUCTURE HIGHLIGHTS 2017

41

miles of 

passenger car 

roads improved

191

miles of highclearance roads 

improved

57

miles of road 

decommissioned

$5

million worth of 

improvements and 

maintenance made 

by permittees

INFRASTRUCTURE

Working Toward Ecologically and 

Financially Sustainable Health, Safety, 

Security, and Accessibility

Above: A Chinook 

helicopter carries 

an 85-foot bridge 

span to the North 

Umpqua Trail. Left: The 

Emerson Bridge project 

eliminated the damage 

taking place in the past 

by spanning the entire 

river well above the 

anticipated flood stage 

of the river.

Leveraging Funds to Accomplish More

In 2017, at least 10 projects were equally 

matched with funding from partners, 

including watershed councils, tribes, 

other federal entities, and local and state 

recreation units – projects collectively 

valued at more than $5 million. 

Through our continued and long 

standing partnership with the Federal 

Highway Administration, the Federal 

Lands Access Program funded 35 

projects to improve access to National 

Forests in Oregon and 11 projects 

in Washington. With the dedicated 

funding the agency receives through 

the Federal Lands Transportation 

Program, we implemented three road 

improvement, five trail improvement, 

and two aquatic organism projects.

Emerson Bridge Replacement

This project replaced a timber bridge 

in poor condition on the South 

Umpqua River. Accumulated debris 

was damaging the bridge while starving 

the stream of woody debris and critical 

habitat. Replacement of the bridge at a 

new crossing allowed part of the road to 

be decommissioned while opening up 

the channel. External partners included 

the Oregon Water Enhancement Board 

and the Drinking Water Partnership.

Lick Creek Culvert Replacement

This project replaced an undersized, 

failing open bottom arch culvert that 

was an aquatic organism barrier. The 

culvert sits just inside Hells Canyon 

National Recreation Area, southeast 

of Joseph, Oregon and a few hundred 

feet west of National Forest Service 

Road 39 (Hells Canyon Scenic Byway). 

Wallowa Resources, a local partner, 

secured $50,000 in Oregon Watershed 

Enhancement Board grant funding for a 

design, and construction was completed 

in 2017. The project alleviates risk to 

local infrastructure, maintains access 

to a popular backcountry trailhead, 

and mitigates habitat issues. Partners 

(Wallowa Resources, OWEB, and 

Grande Ronde Model Watershed) 

funded $200,000 of the project’s costs, 

which the Forest Service supplemented 

with $100,000 of appropriated funding. 

New Bridge Crosses Deer Creek near 

Umpqua Hot Springs

On the Umpqua National Forest, 

visitors can now cross Deer Creek 

with ease while hiking or biking from 

Toketee Lake to Umpqua Hot Springs. 

The new Deer Creek trail bridge was 

35
INFRASTRUCTURE

flown in by helicopter in early October. The new 

structure has a combined 125-foot span and is five 

feet higher than the bridge it replaces, which washed 

out in the winter of 2011. The project was funded 

with a grant from Oregon Parks and Recreation 

Trails program and Forest Service funding.

Lava Lands Visitor Center Roof Repaired

Using recreation fee revenues, the Deschutes 

National Forest replaced the 1970s-era roof at the 

Lava Lands Visitor Center, the interpretive hub of 

Newberry National Volcanic Monument. This critical 

investment helps ensure opportunities for education 

and interpretation at this unique area will continue.

Sustainability and Resiliency

In 2017, construction began on a region-wide 

Energy Savings Performance Contract that includes 

a Department of Energy AFFECT Grant. Lighting 

and HVAC upgrades, as well as solar renewable 

energy installations, will deliver energy and cost 

savings of approximately $230,000 annually and 

reduce the region’s carbon emissions. The work is 

expected to be finished in 2018. Since 2011, the 

Region has invested approximately $60,000 annually 

in a microgrant program used to fund a variety 

of sustainability projects that are geographically 

diverse, foster innovative ideas, and reduce our 

environmental footprint. Approximately 15-20 

projects are funded annually. In 2017, funded 

projects included window replacements, upgrading 

to Energy Star appliances, installing bike racks and 

repair stations, and updating building insulation. 

The Tiller Ranger District replaced more than 

10,000 square feet of lawn with native landscaping, 

an improvement estimated to reduce the Ranger 

District's water use by 52,000 gallons each year.

Klahowya Water System Reconstructed 

The Olympic National Forest reconstructed the water 

system well and distribution line to provide drinking 

water at Klahowya Campground. The well has been 

developed and the pump house structure is complete. 

This investment was a high priority for the Forest 

given the popularity of this recreation site.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHT: 

SPIRIT LAKE OUTLET

In 2017, the Forest Service invested $2.3 

million to safeguard operation of the Spirit 

Lake outlet tunnel and contribute to the 

safety of downstream communities along the 

Toutle, Cowlitz, and Columbia Rivers. Debris 

flow during the 1980 eruption of Mount St. 

Helens blocked the natural outlet to Spirit 

Lake to the North Fork of the Toutle River. 

To prevent the water from over topping 

the debris blockage, the U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers constructed a 1.6 mile, 11-

foot diameter outlet tunnel in 1985, bored 

horizontally through rock on the Mount 

St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. 

This year, an emergency preparedness 

tabletop exercise brought federal, state 

and local emergency managers together 

to improve response coordination. Annual 

inspections have identified areas for 

enhanced operations and maintenance as 

the tunnel ages. Subsequent design and 

construction efforts, such as the installation 

of a new log debris barrier system, continue 

to reduce risk. An interagency effort led 

by the U.S. Geological Survey is improving 

lake elevation sensors and adding outflow 

sensors to improve system monitoring. A 

hydrologic study conducted by the U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers reevaluated the 

probable maximum flood within the Spirit 

Lake basin to inform outflow options, and 

to assist specialists in designing tunnel 

repairs. In December, the National Academies 

of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine 

released its findings of study commissioned 

by the Forest Service to provide a decision 

framework to assist in developing a resilient 

long-term outflow management strategy. A newly installed log debris 

barrier keeps Spirit Lake’s 

floating log mat out of the 

tunnel inlet channel.

37
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Working Together to Achieve 

the Greatest Good

We are committed to working closely with partners 

and local communities on shared opportunities and 

challenges. Wherever possible, our work is carried out in 

partnership. We target investments in collaborativelydeveloped projects with strong community support 

and projects which leverage partner contributions and 

operate across land ownership boundaries. In 2018, our 

regional priorities include:

Ecosystem Restoration 

Healthy ecosystems support people and communities 

that depend on public lands. We will expand our 

capacity for restoration by working with our partners 

and across boundaries. Together, we will work to 

restore ecosystems and watersheds so that our public 

lands are resilient now and into the future.

Wildland Fire Management

We will manage wildfire preparedness and response 

to provide firefighter and public safety and protect 

values at risk in accordance with sound risk 

management principles. To ensure integration, 

mutual support, and learning, we will continue 

strengthening interagency cooperation before, 

during, and after fire events.

Sustainable Recreation 

Through implementation of our Regional 

Sustainable Recreation Strategy, we will provide 

a diverse array of safe and sustainable recreation 

opportunities favoring investments that leverage 

our limited resources and expand our capacity 

through integration and partnerships.

Infrastructure

We will manage and maintain our infrastructure to 

provide for the health, safety, security, and accessibility 

of visitors and employees and be more ecologically 

and financially sustainable over the long term. 

Forest Plan Revision

We will continue to update Forest Plans to address 

ecological needs and societal values using the 

most practicable and transparent means. Forests 

will complete Records of Decision for the Colville 

National Forest and Blue Mountains plan revisions. 

Teams will assemble to initiate plan revisions on 

units within the Northwest Forest Plan.

High-Performing Region

Our success is based on our ability to deliver the 

Region’s programs efficiently, using and leveraging 

limited appropriated funds as effectively as 

possible. We believe we will be more successful as 

a Region if we maintain a welcoming, inclusive, 

productive, and happy workforce and work 

environment. We will adapt our programs and 

services to serve a broader cross-section of 

America and continue to pursue innovative, 

sustainable, and multifaceted approaches to 

business operations and cultural change.

for the greatest good

39
U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region 

1220 SW 3rd Avenue 

Portland, Oregon 97204 

(503) 808-2468 

www.fs.usda.gov/r6 

@ForestServiceNW

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. for the greatest good

U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region