Weyerhaeuser Company, a private owner of timberlands, announced an agreement to open roughly 90 acres of sustainably managed private forest near the peaks of West Tiger Mountain in Issaquah, Washington, to permanent public access following a planned harvest this month.
Working in partnership with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust and Issaquah Alps Trails Club, Weyerhaeuser will support rebuilding trails and opening the property for public recreational access as soon as possible after the completion of harvest activities this fall.
Weyerhaeuser has transitioned most of its acreage on and around Tiger Mountain gradually to public ownership starting in the 1970s, helping establish the trails system that has become a popular resource along the I-90 corridor for outdoors enthusiasts in Seattle and surrounding areas.
The company retained these 90 acres in part to maintain access and clearance for communications towers located on the mountain. While still preserving access to the towers for ongoing maintenance, Weyerhaeuser has committed to a long-term conservation strategy on its remaining acres on West Tiger Mountain to ensure largely contiguous public access throughout Tiger Mountain State Forest.
Working in consultation with the Greenway Trust and IATC, DNR is leading the design work on rebuilding a sustainable trail system.
Weyerhaeuser expects harvest activities to be completed before the end of the year, and trail work could begin on the ground as soon as spring 2022. In addition to reconnecting existing corridors that were closed or changed during the harvest period, planners are looking at opportunities to adjust and improve certain routes, including how to capitalize on new view opportunities near the summit. Also, in accordance with Weyerhaeuser’s sustainable forestry standards and state regulations, 100 percent of the area will be replanted after the harvest with a mix of native Douglas-fir, noble fir and other species.
