GIFFORD PINCHOT NATIONAL FOREST 2015 Year in Review 2015 on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest

2015 was an exciting and busy year! The tionships with our communities, I am Gifford Pinchot National Forest contend- confident that we will be up to the task. ed with multiple fires on the forest, com- memorated the 35th anniversary of the As stewards on of public land we en- 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, began deavor to practice the words of the first planning our forest headquarters move, Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, Gifford and welcomed a few new members to its Pinchot, providing the greatest good for leadership team, all while going about our the greatest number in the long run. work of serving the public and caring for the land.

The Gifford Pinchot National Forest is a di- Gina Owens verse place for , wildlife, and people. Forest Supervisor This report is a snapshot of the Gifford Pin- chot National Forest in 2015. Many accomplishments were the result of months or years of hard work. Most involved partnership and collaboration from organi- zations, agencies, tribes, volunteers, and individuals who are all invested in the Forest. We look forward to continuing to work together for the future of this remark- able place.

2016 will be a busy year too, full of opportunities and challenges. As I to get to know all the different places in the forest and build rela-

2 The mission of the Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.

To ensure our work contributes or our mision, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest focuses on these three areas: • Restoration and Stewardship • Community Engagement • Being an Employer of Choice

Gifford Pinchot National Forest cares for over 1.36 million of acres of land and directly serves communities across five counties. We’d like to share some of our projects from 2015 in these areas:

• Timber and Vegetation Management • Wildlife, Fisheries, and Botany • Fire and Law Enforcement • Recreation • Community Engagement • Engineering

3 TIMBER & VEGETATION MANAGEMENT

Collaboration on the Gifford Pinchot Timber Facts Working with the Pinchot Partners and the South Gifford Timber is measured in million Pinchot collaborative groups result in a better collective un- board feet (mmbf). derstanding of the planning process and the value of early Volume Harvested 41.6 mmbf involvement. Both groups are actively involved in forest Volume Sold 38.7 mmbf work. Stand Improvement (thinning of small In October 2015 the Pinchot Partners, along with mem- diameter trees) 2,079 acres bers of the Cowlitz Tribe and forest staff, led a tour for Reforestation 1,240 acres legislators from State and the U.S. Congress. The group toured projects to demonstrate the benefits of collaboration in forest management. The tour featured a Special Forest plantation thin area, an active huckleberry restoration project using stewardship authority, a legacy road de- Products Facts commission site, and huckleberry pie. Christmas Tree permits 2,693 Beargrass permits 2,561 Boughs permits & contracts 17 Firewood permits & contracts 984 Mushroom permits 1,159 Stewardship Projects Funded From Salal permits 1,415 Retained Receipts Berry permits 656 Free-Use permits 3,341 One tool the Gifford Pinchot uses to achieve land management goals while meeting community needs Total Value of all Special Forest Products $731,843 are Stewardship Sales. Retained receipts from these timber sales fund stewardship projects across the forest. Potential projects are reviewed by forest col- laborative groups, made up of community members.

In 2015, $400,000 of retained receipts funded:

road ditch line and culvert mainte- nance to strengthen watersheds Pale Blue-eyed Grass installation of gate access to improve winter elk habitat Pale blue-eyed grass ( sarmentosum) is a lovely little with lilac flowers that likes to grow erosion and sediment control in meadows. However, loss of habitat has reduced its to protect water quality population to only 22 known sites in the world. Nine of removal of invasive and noxious those sites are in the Gifford Pinchot. plant species Forest botanists are working hard to help out pale pruning and weeding trees to blue-eyed grass. In 2015, the forest removed invasive improve forest health weeds on 65 acres of pale blue-eyed grass habitat; con- reducing wildfire risk through tinued to study whether the plant is vulnerable to hy- activity fuels treatment bridization with another plant, Idaho blue-eyed grass; and partnered with the University of Washington and Stevenson High School to plant 123 greenhouse grown pale blue-eyed grass. 4 WILDLIFE, FISHERIES & BOTANY Festivals for Fish Mount St. Helens: Fostering Future Forest The Gifford Pinchot continually works 35 Years Later Scientists to improve fish passage and habitat Thirty five years ago on May 18, 1980, More young women are getting in- throughout the forest. But fish were Mount St. Helens erupted, spewing volved with science each year. The also in the spotlight at fish and fishing ash, rock, and hot gases into the air Gifford Pinchot National Forest and events across the forest. and causing mud to flow down the Mount St. Helens Institute want to mountain sides. Within minutes the help young women pursue science and In June hundreds of kids and their volcano’s north flank collapsed, trig- natural resources careers. families learned about fish, partici- gering the largest landslide in recorded pated in arts and games, and grabbed history. In August, the Institute hosted a Geo- their poles to reel in a catch. Forest Girls camp. Twenty middle school fisheries and recreation staff partnered Today, the volcano has become a girls from and Washington with local organizations at the Mount world-class outdoor laboratory for the attended the week-long camp. They St. Helens Kids Fishing Derby at Lake study of volcanoes, ecosystems and were mentored by professional scien- Merwin, the Lewis County Kids Fish- forestry, as well as a major recreational tists and science educators. Forest Ser- ing Derby at Lake Scanewa, and the and tourist destination. vice employees participated by sharing Fish Education Day at about their jobs and potential career Goose Lake. 2015 marked the 35th anniversary of paths as these young women think the eruption and represents a key mo- about their future. The mentors taught In September, forest staff participated ment in the volcano’s history. A com- the girls how to use many different in the Sturgeon Festival in Vancouver, memoration was held at the Science kinds of equipment such as GPS sta- WA. This fish festival was a huge hit and Learning Center to honor those tions and Photogrammetry Software among families, promoting sturgeon who lost their lives, listen to stories of to build 3-D models of Mount St Hel- and their home in those that survived, and hear scientists ens. ecosystems. Participants saw some share their amazing discoveries over forest animals up-close during reptile the last 30 years. and birds of prey shows featuring live animals.

Improving Watersheds through Invasive Plant Removal Gifford Pinchot National Forest Fisher- County Weed Control Program staff project has helped improve aquatic ies Biologist Ken Wieman knew there and board members to make a plan of habitat and inland fisheries across the was an invader in Coldwater Lake. If attack. Toutle River watershed. it escaped its present home it might spread and take over dozens of places On a sunny day in June, a dive across the southern part of the forest. team from the Northwest Re- The culprit? Eurasian milfoil (Myrio- gion Office arrived to help the phyllum spicatum), an aquatic plant, forest and county partners. has been labeled an invasive species Armed with bags, nets, ca- in half the country, and costs millions noes, and other equipment, of dollars to control nationwide. staff went to work hand-pull- ing and removing all of the The Gifford Pinchot National Forest Eurasian milfoil possible. doesn’t have a lot of Eurasian milfoil and Wieman wanted to keep it that Staff will continue to monitor way. Biologists met with partners the lake to see if any milfoil from the Skamania County and Cowlitz reappears, but this successful 5 FIRE & LAW ENFORCEMENT

Fires on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Smokey Goes to School Fire plays a very natural role in ecosys- care to preserving the wilderness char- Firefighters and school kids generally tems on parts of the Gifford Pinchot. acter of the landscape while containing don’t hang out together but during 2015 was a hot, dry year. The winter of the fire. Heavy lift helicopters dropped the Cougar Creek Fire students and 2014-2015 contributed little snow and water while ground crews eliminated staff at Glenwood School shared their drought conditions continued through burning or hazardous snags. school with over 500 fire personnel the summer. As a result, the forest had fighting the 50,000 acre fire around an unusually busy fire season. Nearby, the Cougar Creek Fire be- Mt. Adams. Incident Management gan on the south side of Mt. Adams Teams often set up base camp at When deciding how to respond to on August 10. Eventually growing to schools during the summer, but Inci- fires, the forest keeps the safety of sur- over 53,000 acres, the Cougar Creek dent Commander Dave Leitch couldn’t rounding communities and firefight- Fire brought together the U. S. Forest recall a school ever permitting a team ers as top priorities. Steep terrain and Service, the Yakama Nation, the Wash- to stay after school starts. sometimes windy conditions empha- ington Dept. of Natural Resources, and sized the importance of responding Klickitat County Emergency Manage- Staff assigned to the fire camped on strategically while looking out for the ment. the sports fields, while support trail- people closest to the fires. ers, food and shower trucks, and med- The climbing route to Mt. Adams ical, communications, and food tents We relied on assistance from three in- summit was closed and visitors across spread across the parking lots. teragency teams from Washington and the forest had to adapt to public use California, but also appreciated the restrictions. Heritage and fire staff As kids returned to school, firefight- dedication of employees and commu- wrapped the historic Gotchen Cabin in ers and Smokey Bear were on hand to nity members. Hard work and coor- aluminized structure wrap that helped welcome each student back to Glen- dination ensured public and employee protect the 106 year old structure from wood School, talk about how firefight- safety as the forest responded to the the flames. ers work, and offer bear hugs from ongoing challenges of fires. Smokey. In the northwest corner of the forest, The Mt. Adams Complex began July 3 extremely steep terrain and tree-to- The support of Glenwood made the in the Mt. Adams Wilderness on the tree torching spread the Alder Lake work on Cougar Creek Fire a little less west side of the mountain. Located in Fire over 280 acres. The Alder Lake stressful and more efficient. The For- steep terrain with many already dead Fire was difficult to access, with much est relies on these strong community trees from a previous fire several years effort put in to creating containment partnerships for effective emergency ago, the Mount Adams Complex pro- lines. The fire slowly subsided within management. vided a good opportunity for prudent the containment lines with the happy fire suppression. Staff paid particular return of fall rains. 6 The DNA of Resource Protection on the Forest Fire Facts

Law Enforcement officers on the Gif- A single maple tree’s DNA is unique. ford Pinchot National Forest enjoyed After analyzing extracted tree DNA, Total # of Fires: 38 the culmination of four years of hard scientists can match milled lumber, Total Acres work in August after four men were in- downed logs, and even finished guitars Burned: 782 dicted on illegal harvesting of big leaf to the stumps left behind in the forest. maples and selling the wood for use in Teams of scientists and officers were 15 Fires 17 Fires 6 Fires musical instruments. able to collect big leaf maple DNA 769 Acres 3 Acres 10 Acres from poached areas on the forest to Lightning A problem across the country, poach- compare with wood from suspects. Human Unknown ing of maples steals from the public, damages the forest, and has strong Through a partnership of science and Columbia Cascade ties to illegal drugs. The suspects were traditional investigation methods Communications Center charged by the U. S. Attorney General’s from law enforcement officers, Gifford office with cutting and selling trees for Pinchot National Forest is part of this When forest staff go out into the woods a combined profit of $800,000. All four pioneering work that can help forests they rely on the Columbia Cascade pleaded guilty to their charges and are worldwide. Communications Center (WA-CCC) to in the process of sentencing. help keep them connected. WA-CCC provides radio dispatch and logistical Although law enforcement staff had support across the Gifford Pinchot Na- heard rumors and seen the aftermath tional Forest, the Mt. Hood National of illegal maple harvesting a few years Forest, and the ago, it took two years of dedication and National Scenic Area. careful police work to gather the evi- dence necessary to indict the people The dispatch center is in contact with responsible. staff when they are driving in or work- ing on the forest. Dispatch, supported While Gifford Pinchot law enforce- by our radio shop team, helps maintain ment received assistance from staff in safety for staff and visitors to the public. neighboring forests, they also looked halfway around the world to create WA-CCC is also a key player during fires their case. Scientists from the Uni- and other emergencies. They are re- versity of Adelaide, Australia are pio- sponsible for reporting, tracking, and neering DNA identification of trees to processing orders for aircraft, equip- help fight forest poaching, an illegal in- ment, overhead, crews and other sup- dustry estimated at $30 million world- plies needed to support people on the Officer Malamphy takes a sample of a big leaf maple ground. In 2015 WA-CCC processed wide. for DNA analysis. Law enforcement investigated this case with help from USFS International Programs. 4,544 incident requests across the area!

7 RECREATION Leave No Trace Training Creating Better Cascade Peaks on the Forest Wilderness Volunteers Info Station In September the Mount St. Helens Justin Ewer of the Mt. Adams Ranger A new visitor contact station opened National Volcanic Monument hosted District and Jon Erickson of the Co- on the east side of Mount St. Hel- the Leave No Trace Center for Out- lumbia River Gorge National Scenic ens on the way to Windy Ridge. The doors Ethics to help promote good vis- Area both share a passion for wilder- Cascades Peaks station replaces an itor practices on the Forest. ness. After years of training season- old structure which was run down al rangers and volunteers to care for and unusable. Activities at Mount St. Helens includ- wilderness, they were struck by the ed workshops for hikers, campers, and amount of time it takes to become pro- The station offers a place to take hunters, as well as a volunteer clean-up ficient with the skills needed for effec- in amazing views and learn more of heavily impacted dispersed camp- tive wilderness stewardship. about the volcano. The Mount St. sites, hauling out 5,000 lbs. of garbage! Helens Institute and Discover Your Recognizing that some incredible and Northwest operate the seasonal The Leave No Trace programs brought talented people work for wilderness site, offering information, snacks, a renewed focus to some of the prob- preservation, they realized that effec- and a few souvenirs. lems that result from heavy recreation- tively passing on knowledge to the al use of the forest. Trash, food scraps, next generation of wilderness stewards human waste, improper fire rings, and is critical to the Forest Service mission Boots on the Ground homemade latrines mar the landscape. and to wilderness itself. Each year hundreds of thousands of people come from around the world By practicing Leave No Trace princi- “We certainly are not the first to wres- to experience Mount St. Helens. The ples, we can enjoy our national forest tle with this question. There has been national volcanic monument is espe- responsibly and sustainably. some great work done nationally, but cially proud of its interpretive ranger this training came about as we asked program, which in 2015 brought a lit- what we could do in our region,” Ewer tle more awe to the visits of over 55,000 said. students and members of the public who attended a ranger program. On May 30 and 31, 2015 they led the first Region 6 Wilderness Training Cowlitz Valley Ranger District en- for Volunteers. The results surprised gineers and recreation staff worked them. Thirty volunteers from across together to identify and evaluate 18 the region eagerly signed up to learn miles of forest roads to add to the loop basic wilderness skills, wilderness riding opportunities of the Blue Lake monitoring, visitor contact skills, and ATV trail system. They also worked wilderness restoration. closely with the Cowlitz Basin ORV Club to install trail and traffic safety “Our focus was to improve the quality signs to open the roads to off-highway of training and build stronger connec- vehicles. tions regionally within the wilderness community around volunteerism,” The trail crew at Mt. Adams Ranger Ewer explained. Based on the success District improved miles of hiking trails of this year’s training, he and Erickson by repairing and completing three trail hope to be able to continue to offer, bridges: the Boundary Bridge on the and expand upon, these types of train- Boundary Trail #1, the Chinook Falls ings in the future. Bridge, and the West Creek Bridge both on the Siouxon Trail #130. 8 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Forest Headquarters Preparing to Move The Gifford Pinchot National Forest Headquarters office will move to their new home at the Fort Vancouver His- toric Site in 2016. The Forest Service and National Park Service worked to- gether to create this unique opportuni- ty to provide a joint presence with the National Park Service as federal land managers connecting with our public.

Rehabilitation of two buildings at the Fort Vancouver site is underway. Em- ployees will be located in a historic infantry barracks building. A sec- Elementary first graders learn about the animals of the forest while listening to Cowlitz ond, more modern brick building will Valley Ranger District recreation technician and storyteller Steve Hoecker. house the Columbia Cascade Com- munications Center, as well as fire and Youth Opportunities on National Get Outdoors fleet operations. the Forest Day Beginning in March the forest visitor Gifford Pinchot National Forest is In June, staff from across the forest reception area will be co-located with benefiting from programs aimed at participated in the seventh annual Na- the Fort Vancouver National Histor- providing youth with employment op- tional Get Outdoors Day in Vancou- ic Site in the newly renovated visitor portunities, positive life skills, and a ver, Washington. Full of free outdoor center. This will provide visitors an chance to connect with the surround- activities and family fun for the near- opportunity to visit the park and learn ing forest. Since 2002 the Forest Youth ly 5,000 people who attend, National about the Gifford Pinchot National Success and White Pass Discovery Get Outdoors Day aims to encour- Forest and all it has to offer. Team program have provided jobs for age healthy, outdoor fun for kids and hundreds of high school students seek- adults. Volunteers ing employment during the summer months. These nationally recognized Activities included climbing, archery, Volunteers work across the forest programs grew out of partnerships be- trout fishing, a historic fur trader en- to make the Gifford Pinchot a better tween local school districts, the Forest campment, and more! Smokey Bear place to visit. We especially rely on Service, and other partners. and Woodsy Owl were also on hand our education, trails, and other part- while participants learned about rec- ners in leading volunteer groups. For several summer weeks, students reation opportunities in the Gifford Volunteer hours work with forest staff to learn about Pinchot. 40,112 contributed in 2015: natural resources and engineering on Value: $925,383 the forest while work- ing hard on outdoor projects. They improve trails, work along forest roads and help restore viewpoints, help out at community events, and help to remove noxious weeds. 9 ENGINEERING Travel Analysis Moving Forward

In 2015 the Gifford Pinchot Nation- Meanwhile, forest planners, engineers, reconstruction, decommissioning, al Forest completed our forest-wide biologists, and geologists evaluated and maintenance; Travel Analysis Report. As part of the roads for environmental risk, access • Road investments at Regional, For- Travel Management Rule, each forest needs, maintenance requirements, and est, and District scales; across the country was required to budget expectations. When taken as a • Delivery of National, Regional, identify the road system needed over whole, the findings of the report dis- and Forest restoration programs the short and long term for safe and cuss the critical issues related to road for multiple resources; efficient travel while providing for ad- management on the forest. • Forest Service strategies to comply ministration, utilization, and protec- with regulatory requirements, in- tion of national forest lands. Travel analysis is not a decision-mak- cluding those associated with the ing process. It is an assessment of the Clean Water Act and the Endan- Over the past three years, forest staff existing condition of the current road gered Species Act. have been gathering public input from system. as many forest users as possible. The forest held public meetings across the Specifically, this report will be used to region and comments were requested inform: online and in writing. The forest also • Future plan and project-level pro- held follow-up meetings this spring to posed actions, purpose and need keep people informed of the progress statements, and future decisions and methodology. pertaining to road construction, New Bridge Brings Innovation When it came time to replace the Lay- tal impacts that result from culvert forest; and flexible bridge foundations out Creek crossing, the Gifford Pin- failures. that easily adjust to field conditions. chot National Forest partnered with the Bonneville Power Administration, Advantages to using this new ap- The forest’s implementation of the the Federal Highway Administration, proach include its comparatively low project was so successful that the and Ecotrust to build a new and in- cost; the ability to use simple con- Gifford Pinchot earned the Award of novative bridge using a Geosynthetic struction techniques and materi- Honor from the Carl Anderson Con- Reinforced Soil-Integrated Bridge Sys- als; off-site construction of concrete servation Project Engineering Awards. tem. This is the first implementation bridge slabs to reduce damage to the of the system on the U.S. Forest ser- vice road system.

Layout Creek flows into Trout Creek and then the Wind River. The old 12 foot by 8 foot arch culvert at this site was deteriorating, and created a bar- rier for Lower Columbia River steel- head, resident trout and other aquatic species.

Improvements benefit the Forest Ser- vice, native fish, and communities, by preventing expensive emergency re- pairs and the associated environmen- 10 CONTACT US

Cowlitz Valley Ranger District 10024 US Highway 12 Randle, WA 98377 (360) 497-1100

Mount Adams Ranger District 2455 Highway 141 Trout Lake, WA 98650 (509) 395-3400

Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument 42218 NE Yale Bridge Rd. Amboy, WA 98601 (360) 449-7800

Gifford Pinchot National Forest Information 1501 E. Evergreen Blvd. Vancouver, WA 98661 (360) 891-5000

www.fs.usda.gov/giffordpinchot 11