Cascade Forest Conservancy

10/03/2026

Roadless Areas protect more than wildlife habitat and backcountry.

Healthy forests support healthy streams, and a large majority of the nearly 82,000 stream miles found in Roadless Areas will lose their main protection against erosion, pollution, and degradation if the rule is reversed.

In Washington State, nearly 446,000 people rely on protected Roadless Forests for clean drinking water.

Don’t let D.C. officials revoke the Roadless Rule and open protected public lands to logging and mining.Submit your comments by October 6!

09/26/2026

Today is National Public Lands Day, a time to enjoy and care for the public lands we all share and benefit from.

Actions impacting our public lands impact us all, and decisions made with input from local experts and communities lead to better outcomes for everyone. That’s why it’s up to all of us to take action to protect our public lands from attempts to remove critical protections and meaningful public input.

Take Action:

Get outdoors and enjoy our public lands!

Submit comments against plans to remove protections from 44.7 million acres of roadless forest by October 6.

Pick out your style and color of PUBLIC LANDS PUBLIC INPUT gear today to support CFC.

09/23/2026

Forest Fest is less than two weeks away, so we’re offering a sneak peek of some of the exciting raffles, game prizes, and auction items you could take home!

Forest Fest has something for everyone, from vacation packages to foraging experiences, work made by local artists, and one-of-a-kind treasures you won’t find anywhere else!

Come make a difference for wildlife and wild places in the Cascades—and have a great time doing it!

🗓️ Sunday, October 4, 4:00-7:00 pm
📍Holcene: 1001 SE Morrison St, Portland, OR 97214
🎟️ Admission: $20 or $30 for admission + 2 drink tickets 🍻

https://event.auctria.com/0cb7a367-d8d1-4196-97a1-f76e0b0a535d/

09/22/2026

The Roadless Area Conservation Rule protects 44.7 million acres of public lands, including more than 200,000 acres of critical wildlife habitat and irreplaceable backcountry in Washington’s Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Southwest Washington residents are speaking out against D.C. officials’ plans to reverse the rule. Join them! Take a stand for clean water, wildlife, and recreation before the official comment period ends on October 6th.

09/08/2026

Good news! Washington’s Department of Ecology found that the Upper Lewis River meets the state’s qualifications for Outstanding Resource Waters (ORW) designation. Now, a process is underway that will decide if the river will receive ORW status—and the strong lasting protections that come with it!

How you can help:

Do you love to fish, hike, swim, and explore along the Upper Lewis River? We want to hear from you by September 13! CFC is looking for spokespeople willing to speak in favor of preserving one of southwest Washington’s most beautiful watersheds. Send us a message or email [email protected]

08/25/2026

Cascade Forest Conservancy’s Executive Director, Molly Whitney, spoke with Fox 12 reporters about how Forest Collaboratives help ensure everyone has a say in how we manage our public lands.

CFC is proud to be a member of the Pinchot Partners and the South Gifford Pinchot Collaborative because our experience has shown that land management decisions made with public input and community buy-in help lead to outcomes that are better for everyone.

A year after the Trump administration announced plans to increase logging on federal land, crews in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest are back at work — and a timber-dependent community is watching closely.

08/24/2026

ACTION ALERT: The Trump Administration plans to reverse protections for 44.7 million acres of critical wildlife habitat and remote backcountry throughout the nation’s national forest system—including 212,629 acres of Inventoried Roadless Areas in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Take action by speaking in favor of the roadless rule by Sept. 21.

WHAT ARE INVENTORIED ROADLESS AREAS

Inventoried Roadless Areas are protected landscapes where natural processes proceed free from excessive industrial incursion and where the Earth is able to retain some of its wildness.

ROADLESS AREAS ARE:

• Critical strongholds of biodiversity and some of the last remaining refuges for species with little or no other suitable habitat left.

• Sources of clean drinking water for downstream communities.

• Places for connection, solitude, recreation, and irreplaceable backcountry experiences on public lands.

• More resilient to wildfire than forests with high road densities.

We need as many comments in favor of preserving the Roadless Rule as possible! Learn more about the Roadless Rule and how to make a difference at https://cascadeforest.org/our-work/roadless/

08/19/2026

The Trump Administration announced a proposed rule change to revoke the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, a decision that will put nearly 45 million acres of protected public land at risk from logging, mining, and other forms of development.

📍30% of National Forests lands are now protected from most new roadbuilding, logging, and mining, including more than 200,000 acres of Washington’s Gifford Pinchot National Forest

🦌 Roadless Areas are critical stronghold of unfragmented wildlife habitat rare and wide-ranging species depend on

🛶 Roadless Areas protect access to recreation in some of our most beautiful wild places and backcountry

💦 Healthy forests improve and protect water quality. In Washington alone, the Roadless Rule protects 3,610 river miles supplying drinking water for nearly half a million people

🔥 Opponents of the Roadless Rule say current protections make wildfires worse, but that isn’t the case. The vast majority of wildfire ignitions are caused by humans, and wild landscapes are more resilient than disturbed ones. Studies show that more than 90% of wildfires start within 1.25 miles of a road.

The official comment period opens soon.

Learn more about Roadless Areas at the link in our bio.

08/09/2026

Tickets are on sale for our favorite fun-draiser of the year: Forest Fest arrives Sunday, October 4th!

This year, award-winning author, naturalist, and tour guide, David Williams will join us for a fascinating and fun conversation about his newest book, IN THE RANGE OF FIRE & ICE: A Human and Natural History of Washington’s Cascades, that’s sure to inspire new appreciation and insights about the places we know and love.

Plus:

Games! Silent auction! Raffles! Food! Music! Community! A chance to make a difference!

08/08/2026

Fire crews are making steady progress at fortifying the north and west flanks of the High Lava Fire in the Canyon Creek area. The small spot fires that popped up along Forest Road (FR) 54 late on August 5 have been secured. The fire grew significantly yesterday yet remains within the planned containment boundaries.

Today, a shift in weather is expected to improve air quality across the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area; however, this change may cause fire activity to increase. A multi-mission drone aircraft will fly over the fire later this afternoon using infrared technology to accurately map the new perimeter. An update containing revised fire acreage will be provided later this evening.

Firefighters are continuing carefully planned strategic burn operations along FR 54, working from west to east to stay ahead of the fire’s natural movement. As the fire slowly moves toward FR 34 and the West Crater Trailhead, crews are actively extinguishing fires and conducting defensive firing operations along those containment lines.

More resources, including interagency hotshot crews, Type 6 fire engines, and specialized incendiary drones, are arriving soon to support the ongoing fire suppression and containment efforts.

Fire danger remains “Very High.” Visitors are asked to follow all fire restrictions, including a total campfire ban, before traveling in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Restriction details are available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/giffordpinchot/alerts/fire-restrictions.

If you see a new wildfire, call 911.

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CLOSURE NOTICES: To protect the public and personnel during firefighting operations, forest managers have issued a closure order for the High Lava Fire footprint and surrounding area. This closure includes several forest roads and recreation trails, such as:
• Trail #155, West Crater Trail
• West Crater Trailhead
• Soda Peaks Trailhead (west) - the Soda Peaks Trail can still be accessed via the Trapper Creek Trailhead.

The complete closure order and a map are available at the Gifford Pinchot National Forest website: (https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/giffordpinchot/alerts/high-lava-fire-road-and-trail-closure).