{"id":11461,"date":"2025-12-28T12:33:30","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T19:33:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/?p=11461"},"modified":"2025-12-28T12:35:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-28T19:35:17","slug":"public-lands-volunteers-cleared-usfs-road","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/?p=11461","title":{"rendered":"Public Lands – Volunteers cleared USFS Road"},"content":{"rendered":"

Volunteers clear nearly 500 fallen trees from Forest Service roads | Coeur d’Alene Press https:\/\/share.google\/6dS7zogwVPNW5DTuF<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Volunteers assess road conditions in the Fernan Hill area following last week’s high winds. Volunteers removed nearly 500 fallen trees from area Forest Service Roads over the weekend.<\/p>\n

by<\/span>\u00a0HAILEY HILL<\/a><\/span>
\nStaff Writer<\/span>\u00a0|<\/span>\u00a0December 26, 2025 1:08 AM<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\n

It\u2019s not just snowmobilers that recreate on North Idaho\u2019s National Forest land, said Back Country ATV and UTV Association President Bret Uhlich.<\/p>\n

Hikers, cross-country skiers and even sled dog teams take advantage of the groomed backroads and trails that make winter recreation accessible.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all love the backcountry,\u201d Uhlich said.<\/p>\n

It was this love for the backcountry that united 75 volunteers Saturday, enough manpower to clear nearly 500 fallen trees along Bunco Road, Fernan and the Fourth of July Pass.<\/p>\n

Most volunteers were members of local organizations, including the Back Country ATV and UTV Association, the Coeur d\u2019Alene Snowmobile Club and multiple Jeep clubs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalls for action\u201d were issued last week after high winds tore through North Idaho, downing trees, damaging infrastructure and resulting in one death.<\/p>\n

One member of the Snowmobile Club had driven up into the Fernan Saddle area Wednesday to assess the road conditions and found trees nearly 2 feet in diameter toppled across the dirt road.<\/p>\n

The club member was able to clear a quarter mile of the roadway by himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cProgress is possible, but it is slow, hard work,\u201d the Snowmobile Club shared to social media Dec. 18.<\/p>\n

With volunteers split into nine teams, several dozen miles of roadway were cleared of downed trees and other debris.<\/p>\n

Cutting and moving the downed trees out of the roadways will save groomers both time and resources once the area receives significant snowfall, said Coeur d\u2019Alene Snowmobile Club President Steven Cox.<\/p>\n

The work will also allow outdoor enthusiasts to access the trails earlier in the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI figured we should use the brief window we have before it started to snow,\u201d Cox said.<\/p>\n

These efforts underscored the importance of organizations like the Snowmobile Club, he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis shows exactly what the need for this club is,\u201d Cox said. \u201cIt was really good to see how many people came together to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

And though there\u2019s still plenty more work left to do, time and weather will determine whether crews can safely get back out there.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s more to go, but unfortunately it\u2019s a little dicey out there,\u201d Uhlich said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Volunteers clear nearly 500 fallen trees from Forest Service roads | Coeur d’Alene Press https:\/\/share.google\/6dS7zogwVPNW5DTuF Volunteers assess road conditions in the Fernan Hill area following last week’s high winds. Volunteers removed nearly 500 fallen trees from area Forest Service Roads over the weekend. by\u00a0HAILEY HILL Staff Writer\u00a0|\u00a0December 26, 2025 1:08 AM It\u2019s not just snowmobilers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,15,48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-around-the-campfire","category-current-events","category-public-lands"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11461"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11465,"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11461\/revisions\/11465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbbch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}