The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that work began at the entrance to the Russian River campground as part of wide-scale tree removal efforts. Tree fallers and heavy equipment will be in use at the campground entrance station, parking lots, and surrounding areas as crews work to reduce hazards from trees impacted by the spruce bark beetle. Additionally, work will be conducted at the Quartz Creek campground, boat launch and the east side of Quartz Creek near Quartz Creek and Williams Roads. For the safety of work crews and the public, the campground entrance and adjacent treatment areas will be closed to all public use.
At Russian River, the initial public closure will be east of the entrance road, to allow recreational access to Russian Lakes trailhead and groomed ski trails. As crews approach the parking areas, the closure will expand to encompass the remainder of the treatment unit.
Spruce beetle mitigation at Russian River campground has been an ongoing project. Tree removal began in fall of 2020 in several areas of the campground which were most heavily impacted by the spruce beetle outbreak on the Kenai Peninsula. Surveys show more than 80% of spruce trees have been affected in several campgrounds across the forest. These trees are susceptible to dropping limbs and falling, creating overhead threats to people and structures.
The work being done in Russian River, Quartz Creek and other campgrounds on the forest will help reduce overall fire and safety hazards on the forest.
Spruce beetles are a naturally occurring pest that given the right environmental conditions can kill trees across a wide geographical area. Thus far, they are responsible for approximately 900,000 acres of dead and dying spruce in Southcentral Alaska.
District Ranger Ruth D’Amico said:
“Spruce beetle mitigation efforts are key to forest efforts to help keep our campgrounds safe for the public, our concessionaires/partners, and our employees also to help reduce fire hazards.”
The total area being treated at the entrance to Russian River Campground is 58 acres with Quartz Creek being 54 acres. Work in the campground will continue through late-April, depending on the conditions. Trees will be removed and decked on site and offered for sale under personal use firewood permits later this spring.
