Willamette National Forest Begins Assessing Damage From Snowstorm

Oregon Public Broadcasting | By Meerah Powell

Published March 29, 2019 at 12:56 PM PDT

<p>Trees lay across picnic tables in the Black Canyon Campground in the Willamette National Forest after a February 2019 snowstorm in this undated photo. The storm led to damage all across the forest, including downed trees blocking roads.</p> — Trees lay across picnic tables in the Black Canyon Campground in the Willamette National Forest after a February 2019 snowstorm in this undated photo. The storm led to damage all across the forest, including downed trees blocking roads.

The U.S. Forest Service is starting to assess damage caused by the late-February snowstorm that hit the region.

The damage from the winter weather is "forestwide," said Tammy Robinson, public affairs officer with the Forest Service's Willamette National Forest region.

There are downed trees blocking access to some Forest Service roads and trails, while some areas still have snow, she said.

The Forest Service is planning an air patrol assessment in "the next few weeks" to get a full scope of the damage.

"We don't have a timeline. That's what this flight is going to get together — the priority areas we need to tend to first," Robinson said.

The Forest Service is also conducting the flight in conjunction with the Oregon Bureau of Land Management to "assess the damages on their land as well," she said.

The Forest Service will be able to provide more details on specific closures after that flight assessment.

For now, Robinson said, forest visitors should "know before you go." She advises people to check the Willamette National Forest's website and social media for updates on closures and not to use GPS exclusively to navigate as it's not usually updated with closures and cellphone service throughout the forest can be unreliable.