Tree clearing near Sunriver has residents wondering
There’s an area near Sunriver where trees are being cut down. It’s just past Harper Bridge on Spring River Road, heading toward Mt. Bachelor.
On the side of the road, there’s a private parcel that encompasses about 17 acres. On it, quite a few trees have been cut down and cleared out within the lot’s perimeter.
According to Kent Elliot, executive director of the Sunriver Area Chamber of Commerce, the lot is being cleared to protect the area from forest fires.
“It’s currently a fire hazard, so we wanted to at least get that off the table for a potential issue for fire hazard ,” Elliot said Wednesday. “And in addition, we hope that would present more awareness to the community, to everybody at large, to see that this could be a great alternative to what we have right now.”
The long-term goal for the land is to build a gravel parking lot, to provide public access to people who want to use the Deschutes River.
“We have studies done all the way from La Pine State Park to Benham Falls, and every piece of land is either owned by the Forest Service or private parties,” Elliot said. “And this would be the only possible place we have, and in fact, it’s the most busy place we have, so in coincidence with that. But without this piece of property, we see no other alternative.”
Elliot said the chamber hopes the parking lot would free up the area around Harper Bridge. The boat launch next to the bridge can get extremely busy during the summer, he noted, with cars parked a full mile down the side of the road.
Because the piece of land is considered a conservation easement, nothing can actually be built in that area, so the gravel parking lot would be very simple, the chamber official said.
And because most of land is wetland, there are just about 8 acres of land usable for the parking lot.
Elliott said the chamber is in the very early planning process for this project. They’re working with the county and other groups to make it happen, but there’s no timeline on when it would be complete.
