There are incredible stories of partnerships, innovation, and improved conditions occuring through projects uploaded onto this website.  This page aims to tell the story of one project at a time, and will be regularly updated.

Current spotlight:  Mount Hull project on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

In 2019, the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest signed a decision for management on a portion of their lands in Okanogan County with the intent to implement a set of treatments that rely on the principles of landscape and stand-level restoration ecology while meeting current policy direction. The project was within the Mount Hull priority landscape identified by the 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan on approximately 20,000 acres of national forest lands.

The project was developed in coordination with the North Central Washington Forest Health Collaborative, and in the end proposed a suite of treatments to improve resiliency of the landscape including overstory harvest treatments on up to 7,664 acres, non-commercial understory treatments on up to 9,260 acres outside of overstory treatment areas, prescribed burning on up to 19,568 acres with additional maintenance burning at a 10 to 15-year interval, fence construction to protect Haley Meadow, installation of two Aquatic Organism Passage (AOP) pipes on Tonasket Creek, and transportation system changes to reach a more sustainable system over time.

Early implementation of 704 acres of non-commercial vegetation treatments in 2020 was made possible through leveraged partner support in the spirit of shared stewardship.  US Forest Service staff identified 5 units to both improve bighorn sheep habitat adjacent to cliffs and reduce fuel loadings, which required non-commercial thinning to be followed by prescribed burn.

Washington Department of Natural Resources provided $400,000 in 2019-21 forest health federal investment dollars, which leveraged funding and support from Washington State Wild Sheep Foundation, US Forest Service, Colville Confederated Tribes, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to complete thinning on these acres and set them up for pile and broadcast burning in the biennium ahead.

These completed acres benefit people and wildlife, and show the power of partnerships.  Implementation of the remainder of the project continues.  Learn more about the Mount Hull Project and track progress towards completion on the project detail page.

Mount Hull Unit Before Treatment (photo credit:  Matt Marsh/USDA Forest Service)

Mount Hull Unit After Treatment (photo credit:  Matt Marsh/USDA Forest Service)