The White River National Forest is seeking public comments for a potential forest-wide vegetation management project in Eagle, Garfield, Mesa, Pitkin, Rio Blanco and Summit counties.<\/p>\n
According to news release, the project is supposed to maintain existing critical fuel breaks and treatment areas next to communities and improve forest health in areas affected by the mountain pine beetle by removing small-diameter vegetation.<\/p>\n
The plan calls for up to 1,000 acres of vegetation-management activities on National Forest lands annually. Those activities include:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Continued management of live and dead fuels within previously created fuel breaks in the Wildland Urban Interface, or the area where the edge of developed communities meet forest land;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Improving individual tree growth and improving forest health by reducing tree density in naturally regenerating stands of young lodgepole pine;<\/p>\n
\u2022 Reducing the extent of insects or diseases in lodgepole pine stands;<\/p>\n
\u2022 And continued enhancement of tree species diversity through maintaining and protecting young Engelmann spruce trees planted in areas affected by past spruce beetle outbreaks.<\/p>\n
“In response to the mountain pine beetle epidemic, the White River National Forest has worked aggressively to reduce fuel concentrations in critical areas adjacent to communities and to promote the regeneration of lodgepole pine,” said forest supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams in a prepared statement. “However, we now have previously treated areas across the Forest that have regrown and are overly-dense and need maintenance to continue to be effective in the event of future wildfires.”<\/p>\n
Over the last 15 years, the mountain pine beetle epidemic has left swaths of widespread, dead-standing trees.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Forest Service says it has implemented \u2014 and will continue to implement \u2014 targeted fuel-reduction projects in these areas to create buffers between communities and forest land in the event of a wildfire. Over time, however, these fuel breaks have become dense with new vegetation.<\/p>\n
The Forest is now soliciting for public comments on the proposed action and says comments specific to the proposed action that identify a cause-effect relationship are the most helpful.<\/p>\n
Comments can be submitted electronically at Cara.Ecosystem-Management.org\/Public\/\/CommentInput?Project=55257<\/a> or mailed to the White River National Forest, Attn: Shelby Limberis, Rifle, Meeker, P.O. Box 190, Minturn, CO, 81645.<\/p>\n Hard copies may also be turned in at the White River National Forest Offices in Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, Minturn and Silverthorne.<\/p>\n Comments will be accepted at any time, but will be most helpful if submitted before Jan. 31. Names and contact information submitted with comments will become part of the public record and may be released under the Freedom of Information Act. For more information, contact Limberis at the address listed above, call 970-827-5161 or email slimberis@fs.fed.us<\/a>.<\/p>\n