Local campground to close for tree removal

Press Release from the US Forest Service:

ROSEBURG, OR – The Forest Service is temporarily closing the Bogus Creek Campground on the North Umpqua Highway to protect public health and safety while diseased trees are removed. 

Officials expect to reopen the campground in mid-June once this work is completed.

Forest health issues were identified in the campground.

Laminated root rot, a native tree pathogen, has infected about 40 trees there, which will be felled by local contractors. The disease has the potential to cause healthy-looking trees to fall without warning.
Since laminated root rot affects the stems and lower trunk, most of the wood in the infected trees is sound and will be used for in-stream work to improve fish habitat.

The work will affect three of the 15 campsites located adjacent to Highway 138. Traffic control flaggers may hold traffic in both directions for up to 15 minutes during the one day the tree felling is planned. This area will be planted with incense cedar and sugar pine trees that are resistant to laminated root rot; they will provide long-lasting vegetation for the future of this site.   

For more information about the project, contact Aaron Grimes, North Umpqua Ranger District, at 541-496-3532. All other Forest Service campgrounds along the North Umpqua River are open for the season.

The Forest Service understands the public’s desire to recreate at this site, but safety is the top priority on the forest.