Riverside State Park to Remove Burned Trees

Thousands of fire-damaged trees will be cut and sold under a plan approved by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. The work covers 400 acres within Riverside State Park, where the Old Trails Fire burned 1,500 acres. Officials estimate the dead trees could yield about 1.6 million board feet of timber.

The remaining charred trees threaten park visitors as well as nearby homes, roads and public infrastructure. Rangers have been clearing damage and reopening portions of the park since the Spokane-area fires. David Cass, a commission forester, said removing dangerous trees remains a high priority, and selling the usable wood makes work on this scale more affordable.

Even with revenue from the timber, the parks system expects a net loss of $260,000. Removing the trees without a sale would cost about $20 million. The cleanup is expected to continue beyond an initial three-month period, while recovery and monitoring will take years. Cass expects that, with time and management, the area could appear more natural in 10 years, with standing dead trees, young forest growth and a thick, varied native understory.