PF Community Forest still mostly off limits

POST FALLS — While the mercury slowly rises toward warmer spring temperatures, the city of Post Falls is reminding the public that climbing is still prohibited in a large portion of the Post Falls Community Forest.

"We expect that to be closed until late spring," Post Falls urban forester Preston Hill said Tuesday.

The 500-acre Post Falls Community Forest, which stretches west along the Spokane River and to the west and south of Q'emiln Park, was extensively burned when the Parkway Fire tore through the area Aug. 4, 2023.

Seven months later, teams continue fire mitigation work as much of the forest is still closed and remains unsafe for public use.

"What we’re concerned about in that area is anything that may have been compromised by the fire or the heat — root systems, trunks of trees," Hill said. "What is not apparent to us is how much erosion or movement of the ground is going to occur over the winter and spring."

With rain, snow, freezing and thawing taking place following the fire's devastation, Hill said the stability of some trails is questionable, especially those along rock faces. He said it's best to allow the rocks and soil to move and settle in the hazardous areas without people getting in the way.

"There’s no root systems for vegetation to hold soil in place anymore," he said. "We’re trying to get as many temperature and precipitation events to happen as we can before we reopen it."

The target date is to open the Community Forest sometime in May, Hill said. But just because the forest is still closed doesn't mean work isn't getting done.

Hazardous trees are being removed and trail markers destroyed in the fire are being replaced.

“Folks are more likely to get lost out there without trail markers in place,” Hill said. 

Crews have also been busy improving and rerouting an existing maintenance vehicle access road off Riverview Drive for city staff and emergency vehicles to use. A gate will soon be installed. This road is not for public use.

"That will give contractors and city staff a vehicle path much closer to the burn area and this section of the forest than we’ve had before," Hill said.

Hill and his team have also been working on a $125,000 grant-funded hazard fuels treatment project along the southern and eastern boundaries of the Community Forest, inside and outside the burn zone.

The project includes the city of Post Falls, the Idaho Department of Lands, the Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management and Avista Utilities, all of which are working to create a 300-foot-wide shaded fuel break. This will remove vegetation and small trees to thin out the area and put the brakes on a wildfire if another one comes through, Hill explained.

"That 300-foot fuel break will slow the spread of the fire and hopefully prevent the fire from moving up into the crowns of trees," he said. "That will give the responders more time to fight the fire before it gets to homes nearby."

A public meeting about this cross-boundary collaborative fuel break project will be at 5:30 p.m. March 4 at the Trailhead Event Center in Q'emiln Park, 12361 W. Parkway Drive, Post Falls. Agency representatives will give presentations and be available to field community members' questions.

Hill said the city has received a good amount of interest from community members who wish to help care for the Community Forest through trail maintenance and volunteer opportunities. Those interested in helping to form a Friends of the Post Falls Community Forest nonprofit are welcome to contact Hill at prestonh@postfalls.gov 208-457-3315 for details.

 "We’d love to link folks up and see if they can get a board together," he said.

    Crews have been busy improving and rerouting a maintenance road off West Riverview Drive for Post Falls city staff and emergency vehicles to more quickly access the Post Falls Community Forest. A gate will soon be installed. The road is not for public use.