Cross country ski trail #10 in the South Summit Nordic Ski Area will be plowed soon to allow for hauling timber salvaged after last summer’s Carlton Complex Fire, the Methow Valley Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service announced Tuesday (Jan. 6).
Ski trail #10 is part of the South Summit Nordic Ski Area located on the south side of Highway 20 at the Loup Loup Summit on Forest Service land.
The timber sale, called Brimstone, will harvest approximately 1 million board feet of timber burned in the fire. Boise Cascade purchased the sale, and will begin harvesting and hauling by the end of this week. The main haul route will be the Pole Pick Road (Forest Road 4100600). This road is typically groomed for use as a cross country ski trail in the winter.
“The Brimstone area has soil that erodes easily, and last summer’s fire made the soil even more fragile,” said Jennifer Zbyszewski, Recreation Program Manager for the Methow Ranger District. “Requiring winter logging reduces potential impacts to water quality and aquatic habitat.”
“Timber value decreases quickly once trees are killed by a fire, so Boise Cascade is starting the harvest right away,” she said.
The rest of the cross country ski trails in the South Summit Nordic Ski Area will remain open. However, grooming on the section of K9 that connects to trail #10 and the Lower Powerline trail may be altered.
Skiers should check the bulletin board at the South Summit Sno-Park for up-to-date information.
