Logging, brush removal prompt new weekday closures in Phil’s Trail area west of Bend

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Deschutes National Forest said Thursday it is implementing additional temporary closures starting Monday on portions of trails within the Phil’s Trail area and the greater West Bend trails system.

Officials said Thursday the closures are to protect the public’s safety as logging operations and mastication of brush and small trees occurs in the area. Mastication can cause debris to fling up to 300 feet. 

The following Phil’s Trail area trails will be temporarily closed for logging operations and mastication:

• Storm King between Storm King’s junction with Phil’s Trail and Grand Slam 
• Phil’s Trail is closed between the 4601-336 Road and the 300 Road. Downhill riders can reroute around the Phil’s Trail closure by following the 4601-336 to the east and then taking the 300 road to the north to its intersection with Phil’s trail.

The following segment of the Dynah-Moe Humm Trail #57 will be temporarily closed for logging operations:

• Dynah-Moe Humm Trail is closed starting at Edison SnoPark heading east approximately 2.2 miles to the junction of Forest Service Roads 4188-500 and 4188-300.

Trails will be closed weekly every Monday at 12 a.m. to Friday at 3 p.m. Trails will be open Saturdays, Sundays and all federal holidays. The trails will reopen when the work is completed.

"The public, for their own and others' safety, should abide by the closures," officials said in the announcement. "People could be significantly harmed if debris from the mastication work strikes them. The mastication work is a part of restoring the forests to a healthier condition and reducing the potential for high intensity fires."

After work along the section of Storm King included in the above closure is complete, the Forest Service anticipates that the portions of the Storm King Trail between Grand Slam and C.O.D. will be closed for logging operations and mastication work. The public will be notified when these trail closures occur.

For more about the work being done, visit: http://deschutescollaborativeforest.org/