40 acres of Pierce County park closed for two years for logging, updates
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Pierce County closed 40 acres of Orangegate Park for logging through 2027.
- Crews will remove diseased trees, apply herbicides and begin park upgrades next.
- Planned improvements include a playground, dog park, restrooms and trail links.
A section of Orangegate Park is closed for the next two years.
According to a Facebook post from Pierce County Parks, the northern 40 acres — otherwise known as “Orangegate Park North” — closed to the public on July 7 and will remain closed until 2027.
Orangegate Park North “will be officially closed to the public for safety during expected active logging operations, which include heavy machinery on site,” the post said. “... Once Orangegate Park North is closed for these operations, it will STAY CLOSED through the duration of construction of the park improvement project — now expected to wrap up in 2027.”
Andriana Fletcher, spokesperson for Pierce County Parks, told The News Tribune that the logging work and park improvement project are two separate projects. Pierce County’s website says the logging project will improve forest health by removing small and diseased trees.
“Thinning will focus on removing smaller diameter and diseased trees and preserving the largest and healthiest trees while maintaining tree species diversity,” the website says.
Crews will also be using herbicides to counter invasive species, the website says.
Once logging wraps up in two weeks, a separate set of crews will work on the park improvement project. According to the county’s website for the project, it will include:
- A playground
- An off-leash dog park
- Park shelters
- Restrooms
- “Soft-surface hiking”
- A pedestrian crossing of 84th Street at 46th Avenue
- A connection to the Pipeline Trail
Pierce County Parks adopted the master plan for the park improvement project in 2021.
The News Tribune asked Fletcher how much these projects cost and when in 2027 the park is expected to open again. She said there is no estimate for when in 2027 the park will reopen.
“We are awaiting permitting and final cost estimates,” Fletcher wrote in an email to The News Tribune. “Once those are finalized, we will have a clearer understanding of the project timeline.”
Fletcher also said they are still estimating how much each project will cost, but sources of funding include:
- $1.5 million in recreation and conservation grants
- $6 million in park impact fees
- $155,000 in real estate-excise tax
What else has been happening at Orangegate Park?
On June 28, Pierce County Parks unveiled a new extension of the Pipeline Trail, which runs 5.8 miles from the Tacoma Dome to Orangegate Park at 8491 Pipeline Road E.
The trail follows the Tacoma Water Pipeline between 72nd Street East and 94th Avenue East.
Fletcher previously told The News Tribune that the first phase cost $6 million:
- $1.5 million in recreation and conservation office grants
- $3.1 million in park impact fees
- $1 million from Pierce County Parks’s general fund
- $300,000 in real estate-excise taxes
Construction began in 2023 and wrapped up in 2025. Future phases will connect the Pipeline Trail to the Nathan Chapman Memorial Trail in South Hill.
News Tribune archives contributed to this report.
