Federal money aimed at fixing forest roads

EVERETT -- An infusion of federal money could help repair or retire dozens of logging and mining roads in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

Congress recently approved $40 million to tend a growing number of abandoned or damaged roads on Forest Service land across the country. U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Bremerton, sponsored the measure, and officials hope Washington state will get a good chunk of the money.

Peter Forbes, district ranger for the forest's Darrington Ranger District, said local Forest Service workers won't learn for weeks or months how much money is coming but hope it will be the first of several expenditures.

"We've downsized over the last few years to the point where we're pretty well booked with the work we have," Forbes said. "If we feel pretty comfortable that the money is going to keep coming in, we'll probably look at increasing staff as we feel it's appropriate."

Money to maintain the roads dried up as the large-scale logging industry declined in the 1990s. Statewide, there's an estimated $300 million backlog of road damage on 22,000 miles of logging roads. More than $120 million of that erosion damage is on 2,700 miles of road in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie forest.

The Forest Service's road-maintenance program for the state has been getting about $3 million per year.

Chris Frissell, director of science and conservation for the Pacific Rivers Council, based in Eugene, Ore., said it's a good idea for the Forest Service to use what money it can in targeted watersheds, to dismantle or improve roads that are eroding into streams and impeding salmon.

In the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, workers first plan to fix or remove roads in the Suiattle River basin near Darrington, Forbes said.