SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — Spokane County is already preparing for next fire season with some help from the state Department of Natural Resources. But part of the county’s project means a few popular trails will be closed.
Even when it’s chilly outside, people still take their dogs walking and hiking around the trails in the Dishman Hills Natural Area. But these trails will have to close over the next couple weeks so crews can work on wildfire mitigation to make sure the area is ready when temperatures heat up this summer.
Even though the area is at risk of wildfires every year, Spokane County isn’t able to do fuel mitigation work each year. Thanks to $380,000 in funding from the DNR, the county is now able to make this area safer for everyone.
“This area specifically was identified for prioritization because it has a history of wildfires in the area and fire starts on an annual basis,” said Dan Maus, a natural resource specialist with Spokane County Parks.
Dozens of trees have already been tagged to be cut down, which could also help with future bark beetle infestations.
The Dishman Hills area has seen wildfires as recently as September. Spokane County hopes thinning the forest will make it healthier.
“Its proximity to the communities around and a lot of neighborhoods that could be possibly damaged by something of that nature,” Maus said.
The parking lot for the Sargent Road trailhead will be closed to the public for the next two weeks. Most of the trails in the area will also be closed.
But the county has a few recommendations for other trails you can check out in the meantime, including the Phillips Creek Trailhead.
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