Idaho ancient cedar grove will be closed until spring

A recent wildfire appears to have killed more ancient cedars in the Settler’s Grove north of Wallace than initially reported.

Firefighters left sprinklers running in the grove as the Grizzly Complex fire advanced in mid-August. Later flights over the area showed a green canopy, leading Forest Service officials to believe that most of the centuries-old trees were spared.

But the intense, low-burning fire scorched the cedars’ shallow root systems, said Jason Kirchner, a spokesman for the Idaho Panhandle National Forests.

The grove will remain closed to the public through the winter to allow damaged trees to topple over without endangering people. The fire also continues to smolder in spots. “It’s still pretty dangerous,” Kirchner said.

Forest Service officials will assess the fire damage to Settler’s Grove next spring.

The grove is about 16 miles north of Wallace over Dobson Pass. An interpretive trail follows the West Fork of Eagle Creek through towering stands of western red cedar. Some of the trees were mature when Columbus set sail for the New World.

A similar stand in Northwest Montana fared better.

Another wildfire came within a mile of 100-acre Ross Creek Cedar Grove, but didn’t burn within the recreation area on the Kootenai National Forest.

The Ross Creek Cedar Grove has reopened to the public, though trails along the Middle and South forks of Ross Creek remain closed because of extensive fire damage, said Dave Thorstenson, a Forest Service recreation manager. The grove is located about 29 miles southwest of Troy.