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A map of the Community Tank Timber Sale project location is included on page 3 of the attachment. Thank you,
Forest Service completing thinning project north of Parks; log trucks to begin hauling this week along Forest Road 141
Williams, Ariz., Sept. 7, 2017—For Immediate Release. Tree removal has begun on a 1,039-acre project on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest
associated with the Four Forest Restoration Initiative.
The Community Tank Timber Sale area is located about 11 miles north of Parks just south of Forest Road 171 and west of Kendrick Mountain Wilderness near Pumpkin Center. Harvesting operations recently began in the area
and are expected to be completed by the end of this year, depending on weather conditions over the next few months.
As thinning work is implemented, residents and visitors can expect to see heavy, mechanized equipment and workers in the project area and an increasing number of log trucks traveling along the haul route. Because work
is progressing quickly at the project site, it is expected that log trucks will begin hauling this week.
The major haul route will be from the project area south along Forest Road 141 through Parks to Interstate 40. It is possible that there could be a significant number of trucks hauling timber through this area until project
completion.
Members of the public are urged to use extreme caution near timber removal and hauling operations. Besides the presence of heavy equipment and log trucks, there will also be trees being felled and stacked into log decks,
which can be unstable. Visitors to the area should not camp near nor climb on them, as they often shift and have the possibility of collapse.
“It’s really important that local community members and visitors understand that they need to be careful when driving near a log truck or in areas where logging work is occurring. These are not areas to camp or play around
in, and people need to be aware of what is happening around them,” said Tom Dauenhauer, a timber sale administrator for the Kaibab National Forest. “In the long run, the benefits of this work will be safer communities and healthier forests for all of us for
years into the future. In the short term, though, it means being extra vigilant near project areas and haul routes so that this forest restoration work can be accomplished safely.”
The objectives of the Community Tank Timber Sale are to reduce fuel loading and the potential for future high-intensity wildfires and to improve forest health and watershed conditions. The thinning and logging work occurring
on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest is associated with the Four Forest Restoration Initiative.
The goal of the Four Forest Restoration Initiative is to accelerate the pace and scale of restoration within 2.4 million acres of ponderosa pine forest in northern Arizona to increase resilience and proper functioning.
Restoring this fire-adapted ecosystem is accomplished with a suite of restoration activities – from watershed maintenance and habitat improvements to prescribed burning and thinning.
For additional information on the Four Forest Restoration Initiative, visit
www.fs.usda.gov/4fri. Members of the public can find additional information on the Kaibab National Forest through the following sources:
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 manage your subscription visit http://www.fs.fed.us/news/subscription.shtml |
Attachment:
1650-1_so_CommunityTank_2017_0907.pdf
Description: 1650-1_so_CommunityTank_2017_0907.pdf
