Tree Tip Timber Sale & Trail Closures

Hikers and runners on the lesser-traveled trails of Middle and East Tiger might have recently noticed some logging closure signs for the “Tree Tip Timber Sale.” IATC has some updates to share from our friends at DNR about the expected timeline, trail closures, and recreation impacts of this timber sale.



Timber Harvesting Timeline

Road work for Tree Tip has recently begun. DNR has temporarily closed several trails that enter the harvest area. They expect the purchaser (timber harvester) to operate continuously through October 2024, with road work occurring approximately through mid-June and timber harvesting starting to get underway sometime in June or July.

 

Trail Closures

As shown on the below map, segments of Tiger Mountain Trail and Middle Tiger Trail are temporarily closed as well as the entirety of Hobart Middle Tiger RR Grade. Entrances to the yellow-highlighted trail segments on the map are signed closed in the field and have copies of the attached map posted. DNR is in the process of posting additional maps at trailheads and other areas in the forest from where visitors may be approaching the timber harvest area.

Trail Closures Timeline

All trail closures will remain in effect until the purchaser has finished operating. Some trail closures will remain in effect until trails have been reconstructed. DNR will likely reopen trails in two stages:

  • Stage 1: Shortly after the timber harvest is finished, DNR reopen trails that were minimally impacted by the timber harvest but are closed for safety during operations. This includes segments of Middle Tiger Trail and Tiger Mountain Trail, as well as the entirety of Hobart Middle Tiger RR Grade.

    • A segment of Middle Tiger Trail will be rerouted, as shown on the below map.

  • Stage 2: Segments of Middle Tiger Trail and Tiger Mountain Trail that are within the timber harvest area will be more heavily impacted and need to be reconstructed before being reopened. Currently, DNR estimates that this will be completed sometime during the summer or fall of 2025. However, it could be later depending on factors like funding availability, winter weather, and the possibility of the purchaser seeking an extension on their contract.



IATC has been involved in DNR's decision-making process in deciding how best to deal with trail connectivity and closures when logging occurs. In 2022, IATC provided input to DNR about the importance of preserving trail connectivity on Middle Tiger, and helped advocate for a re-route of the Middle Tiger trail, which is outside the boundary of the timber sale.

DNR shared with IATC that timber sales can often provide an opportunity to improve recreation. “The Tree Tip timber sale is a great example of forestry helping to prioritize improvements to an existing trail system,” said Lori Price, Assistant Region Manager in DNR’s South Puget Sound Region. “DNR staff and its partners, including Washington Trails Association and the Washington Conservation Corps, have already begun work on a reroute of the Middle Tiger Trail that will provide hikers and runners with a trail alternate to the forest road that’s currently required to be used to reach Middle Tiger Mountain. Work to reconstruct, improve, and reopen other trails in the area will begin as soon harvesting is completed and I’m optimistic that by next summer visitors will be able to return to the area to thru-hike the Tiger Mountain Trail, or to take in new views of Mount Rainier from the summit of Middle Tiger Mountain.”

Additionally, DNR aims to implement best practices for climate-smart forestry across the lands they manage. According to Duane Emmons, Assistant Deputy Supervisor for State Uplands with DNR, “Within the Tiger Mountain State Forest there are thousands of acres of high conservation value forests conserved in the West Tiger NRCA, and thousands more conserved in riparian and wetland buffers, and other special ecological features. For the Tree Tip sale, approximately 224 acres were originally considered for harvest, and the number was reduced to 100 net harvest acres for the protection of streams, wetlands, other special ecological features, and retention of recreation trails.”

IATC continues to advocate for holistic forest management practices and conservation of older forests in the Issaquah Alps. Some of our recent work includes:

Kelly Jiang