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Please see attached news release.
Thank you,
Jacqueline C. Banks Public Affairs Officer Kaibab National Forest (928) 635-8314 www.flickr.com/kaibabnationalforest
Fuelwood Permits To Be Available For Williams and Tusayan Districts
WILLIAMS, Ariz. – The Williams and Tusayan ranger districts of the Kaibab National Forest will begin offering fuelwood permits for the 2012 season on April 16, weather permitting. Details about the kinds of permits offered by each district and associated maps will be available on the Kaibab National Forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/kaibab/fuelwood.
Dead-and-down, green, and free-use wood permits will be available. Dead-and-down wood will cost $5 per cord, while green wood will be $10 per cord. Individuals buying dead-and-down or green wood permits must have a minimum purchase of $20. Dead-and-down and green wood permits will be sold in two-cord increments, and a maximum of six cords (combined) may be sold to any household.
Anyone obtaining a fuelwood permit for the Williams and Tusayan ranger districts needs to be aware that motor vehicle travel restrictions are in place. Driving off of designated roads is not allowed, except in specific areas, which are described below. In order to understand the forest transportation system and ensure compliance with the motor vehicle travel policy, all visitors should pick up a free Motor Vehicle Use Map. These maps are available at all forest offices and on the Kaibab National Forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/kaibab/tmr.
As in previous years, fuelwood gathering continues to be allowed across both the Williams and Tusayan ranger districts by permit. The change is that fuelwood cutters are no longer allowed to drive motor vehicles cross-country off of designated roads in order to find and collect fuelwood. The exception is within designated fuelwood gathering areas.
Within designated fuelwood gathering areas, fuelwood cutters may drive cross-country off of designated roads in order to find and collect fuelwood. Outside of designated fuelwood gathering areas, motorists may drive up to 30 feet off of all open roads in order to park and collect fuelwood. The fuelwood permit and accompanying map clearly identify designated fuelwood gathering areas within which cross-country motorized travel is allowed.
“We understand that this fuelwood season will be different for people because of the motor vehicle travel policy,” said Williams District Ranger Martie Schramm. “However, we remain committed to providing our local communities with the opportunity to collect fuelwood.”
“We have put effort into increasing the number of acres and number of areas within which fuelwood can be gathered using motor vehicles. We have also worked to improve the quality of the wood being offered,” Schramm continued. “We have listened to people’s concerns and will continue to do our best to ensure access to this important resource.”
On the Williams Ranger District alone, more than 13,000 acres have been identified as designated fuelwood gathering areas. Within these areas, motorists can drive cross-country to collect fuelwood. This is an increase of more than 3,000 acres from last year’s fuelwood season. Similarly, on the Tusayan Ranger District, about 24,000 acres have been identified as designated fuelwood gathering areas within which cross-country motorized travel is allowed. This is an increase of more than 10,000 acres from last year’s fuelwood season.
Additional cutting areas may be added or updated throughout the season, so fuelwood cutters are encouraged to contact the ranger district offices periodically for the most up-to-date information.
All visitors to the forest are reminded to always be extremely careful with fire. Fuelwood cutters should be aware that chainsaws can throw sparks and ignite grasses and brush. Always carry a shovel and water in case of a fire start. Additionally, all chainsaws must be equipped with a stainless steel spark arrestor screen.
For additional information about the fuelwood program on the Williams and Tusayan ranger districts of the Kaibab National Forest, please contact the Williams Ranger District office at (928) 635- 5600, 742 S. Clover Rd., Williams, or the Tusayan Ranger District office at (928) 638-2443, 176 Lincoln Log Loop, Grand Canyon, during business hours Monday through Friday.
For additional information about Kaibab National Forest, please visit www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab. This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To receive official Forest Service information by e-mail, please subscribe by visiting http://www.fs.fed.us/news/subscription/ To unsubscribe from this mailing list, please visit http://www.fs.fed.us/news/subscription If you wish to make changes to an existing account, please visit http://www.fs.fed.us/news/changes.shtml |
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