Generating $400,000 for vital public services. Improving forest health and wildfire resiliency. Providing habitat for native species. A DNR timber harvest near Naches is doing it all — while also enhancing recreational access to green dot roads.
With a name coined by the round, green stickers that mark each of their road signs, green dot roads offer opportunities for off-road-vehicle riding, hunting and sightseeing in Eastern Washington. Stretching 1,005 miles total across multiple land owners, the road system connects drivers to beautiful mountain vistas of ponderosa pine, canyons and turn-offs with opportunities to camp, picnic or hike. Established in the 1980s, the Green Dot Road System provides connections across numerous landowners, crossing DNR’s Ahtanum and Naneum Ridge state forests as well as many wildlife areas managed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Although much of the Green Dot Road system can accommodate pickups and SUVs, sections of the roads can be difficult to navigate due to steep grade and deferred maintenance. For many years, this was true for the R-1500 Road, commonly called Maloy Canyon Road, which was difficult for drivers to cross and for DNR to upkeep. Thanks to DNR’s Carrol Flats timber harvest, DNR was able to move 3,900 feet of this road through a relocation that involved 5,200 feet of new road construction. The new road is rocked with gentle grades, strengthening it against erosion and reducing long-term maintenance needs. Without timber production from the Carrol Flats timber harvest, this road relocation would be too costly for DNR to take on. While a timber harvester will use the new roads as part of the Carrol Flats timber harvest scheduled to wrap up in summer of 2018, recreationists will enjoy the roads as part of the Green Dot Road system for years to come.
This is just one of the ways the recreation community benefits from timber sales in DNR’s working forests. Timber harvests help promote healthy forests for a more enjoyable recreation experience. Reducing forest density can open up habitat for wildlife and opportunities for hunting. It can also make forests more resilient to high-severity fires and quicker to recover and reopen to visitors following a low-severity wildfire. DNR also maintains these roads with funds that we generate from timber sales, which in turn provide access into DNR’s working forests for outdoor recreation.
The Carrol Flats Timber Sale is just one example of how DNR has been able to steward public lands for recreation in ways that both provide enhanced access and meet the agency’s fiduciary responsibilities to beneficiaries. Click here to learn more about some of the benefits of DNR’s working forests. For more information about the Green Dot Road system, visit our website. Find Maloy Canyon Road on our map.
