Timber harvest operations to temporarily restrict trail access at Blue Creek Bay
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COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Due to heavy equipment and timber harvest activities on the east side of the Blue Creek Bay recreation area, the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Coeur d’Alene Field Office is temporarily restricting access to several hiking trails in the area.
Effective immediately, the following trails on the east side of the area will be inaccessible due to logging operations: Blue Trail, Lake Overlook, Orange Trail, Red Trail and the Ridge Trail. Visitors may still park at the primary trailhead located off Yellowstone Road, but will only have access to routes on the south side of the road, including the Connector and Meadow Trails. A detailed map of the affected trails can be found at https://www.blm.gov/visit/blue-creek-bay-recreation-site-and-trail
“The BLM will monitor the progress of the timber harvest activities and reopen the trail systems as soon as it is safe for the public,” said Scott Pavey, Acting Field Manager. “Trails on the east side of Blue Creek Bay have become more and more popular over the past several years with hikers, dog walkers and horseback riders, but we want to ensure everyone is safe while logging is underway.”
The active timber operations are targeting dead and dying timber impacted by root disease and insect infestations in the Wallace Forest Conservation Area. Root disease causes trees to rot from the inside at the base and fall without warning, affecting trees that often appear to be perfectly healthy.
The Blue Creek East timber sale is the second of several planned vegetative treatment projects by the BLM to reduce the impacts of root disease and bug infestations. The timber sale will focus on a 295-acre area and is expected to generate 2.2 million board feet of timber. A north Idaho contractor, Vidovich Forestry Consulting Inc., purchased the Blue Creek East Timber Sale in late September.
For additional information, please contact Debbie Paul, BLM Forester, at 208-769-5028
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.