Big Stew
Big Stew Restoration Thinning and Vance Creek Culvert Removal
The Big Stew unit is 329 acres of 80-year-old stands. 207 will be thinned as a stewardship sale after stream, wetland, unique species and special habitats protections are applied. The site was sold to Sierra Pacific Industries in 2018.
The Collaborative continues to support the Olympic National Forest in outreach to stakeholders, and has worked in partnership with the Skokomish Watershed Action Team to identify a priority stewardship project, which is the Vance Creek culvert replacement.
Vance Creek Culvert Removal & Field Tour:
In May 2022 the Olympic Collaborative hosted a field tour for the Lake Cushman Firewise Council to share insight into our Big Stew sale. Along with Lake Cushman community members, the Firewise Council shared concerns and asked insightful questions about the Big Stewardship sale, including the role of restoration thinning, prescription thinning, and wildfire mitigation. The Collaborative also shared information on the Vance Creek Culvert Removal. The Vance Creek Culvert Replacement will replace an existing 36″-diameter culvert with a much larger 72″-diameter culvert where Forest Road 2350 crosses a non-fish-bearing tributary of Vance Creek. The culvert replacement will help protect water quality in Vance Creek, which is a fish-bearing creek.