Letter Taneum Restoration Project

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Kittitas County, Washington BOARD oFCOUNTY COMMISSIONERS August 7, 2018 District One Cory Wright Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Cle Elum Ranger District 803 W. 2 nd Street Cle Elum, WA 98922 RE: Taneum Restoration Project District Two Laura Osiadacz District Three Obie O'Brien Thank you for providing a site tour and extension for comment on the Scoping Document for the Taneum Restoration Project. The tour gave clarity to all of the stakeholders who were able to attend. The Kittitas County Board of County Commissioners would like to formally support thinning of the forest to remove diseased or unhealthy trees, and trees that need to be removed to allow for a more fire resilient forest. In addition to mechanical thinning, the Board is also supportive of using fire in prescribed burns to control the undergrowth and fine fuels in an effort to allow for a landscape that was historically found in this area prior to the overabundance of fire suppression. After thinning is performed, it would be beneficial for firewood permits to be sold to the public. This would allow for the harvest of timber that was not sold during the restoration project or used as habitat. By doing this we would see unused fuels from this project removed from the site, and provide a public benefit by furnishing a resource for firewood collection. It is recommended that there is a plan with funds dedicated for vegetation management. Historically after soils are disturbed or bums occur there is a flood of invasive species that take seed and become established. It is important for the health of the forest to ensure we are ready to address these challenges after the work is complete. After mechanical thinning and prescribed burns are finalized, there is an opportunity for maintenance to occur through well planned grazing efforts. Many studies have found that grazing as a vegetation management treatment is safe, practical, effective, and often makes economic sense. The scoping document states, "There is a need to decommission or repair roads that are redundant, unsafe, and unsustainable, and are having considerable resource impacts." In recent years we have seen a decline in the amount of roads open on public lands. It is important to the committee that access remains open for public use. Recreation has played an ever growing role in KITTITAS COUNTY COURTHOUSE· 205 WEST 5th , SUITE 108 · ELLENSBURG, WA 98926 (509) 962-7508 · FAX (509) 962-7679 www.co .kittitas .wa .us