Timber harvest in Klickitat Meadows means Heavy Truck Traffic in Ahtanum State

The timber harvesting is taking place in the Klickitat Meadows in the western part of Ahtanum State Forest. Visitors can expect anywhere from 30 to 40 trucks or chip vans each day—Monday through Saturday—to be rolling through Tree Phones Campground along the Middle Fork Ahtanum Road to Tampico. The Ahtanum State Forest is 30 miles west of Yakima.

In addition, an adjacent private landowner may harvest some timber starting later this month, which may add an additional 20 to 30 trucks per day.

“Safety is our first concern. We’ll be monitoring the situation closely to see how well trucks and visitors interact,” said Ken McNamee, manager of DNR’s Alpine District. “We’re asking everyone to be patient and work with each other, and to allow extra time to get to where they want to go in Ahtanum.”