Daily Archives: April 4, 2018

Kaibab National Forest continues forest restoration project north of Parks

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WILLIAMS – With the return of spring weather, log trucks will again be able to access and remove trees, chips and other material from the 1,039-acre Community Tank Timber Sale area north of the Parks community where forest restoration work has been occurring since last fall.

The Community Tank project is located about 11 miles north of Parks just south of Forest Road 171 and west of Kendrick Mountain Wilderness near Pumpkin Center on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest. Harvesting operations began last September, with about 800 acres having been treated to date. The forest restoration work is expected to continue through July, barring weather or other delays.

Residents of Parks and visitors recreating in the area can expect to see an increasing number of log trucks traveling along the haul route to and from the project beginning this month. Approximately 14 trucks per day may be visiting the site in order to remove downed trees and other restoration byproducts.

The major haul route is from Forest Road 151 and FR 194 to FR 141, which travels through the Parks community, and then on to Interstate 40. It is possible that there could be a significant number of trucks hauling timber through this area until project completion.

By May, foresters with the Kaibab National Forest anticipate an increase in tree felling operations at the site in order to complete the remaining acres of restoration work within the 1,039-acre project area. As this thinning work is implemented, residents and visitors can expect to see heavy, mechanized equipment and workers on site and a continued presence of log trucks along the haul route.

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. Motorists should be aware of the likelihood of encountering a log truck along haul routes and are encouraged to drive with safety in mind at all times.

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. Another important component of the effort is to work toward restoration of historic grasslands and meadows, which support a variety of wildlife species including pronghorn antelope. As a result of historical livestock grazing, fire suppression, changes in wildlife populations, climate change, and other factors, grasslands and meadows have experienced substantial encroachment and infilling by woody species over the last century.“Much of this area was open meadow historically. The restoration work we are doing at Community Tank is improving habitat quality and connectivity,” said Tom Dauenhauer, timber sale administrator, Kaibab National Forest. “We are already seeing much more frequent visitation to and use of the area by pronghorn since we started this project. That is a great benefit to be added to all of the other community protection and forest health benefits of this work.”

The tree harvesting efforts occurring on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest are part of the overarching restoration work 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:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/KaibabNF (Text ‘follow kaibabnf’ to 40404 to receive text messages.)
Kaibab website: www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab
Kaibab Facebook: www.facebook.com/KaibabNF

Moonset Pit Renovations Begin But Will Remain Closed For Public Safety

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WILLIAMS – Officials on the Kaibab National Forest, are alerting local residents in and around the communities of Parks and Sherwood Forest Estates, that Moonset Pit will undergo an expansion project set to begin this month.

The purpose of the project is to open up the space within the pit which will allow for separation between the cinder operations and the woody debris piles ultimately providing for a much safer environment for all users. It will also provide for a larger capacity which in turn will accommodate more users for this popular site in the future.

The work will involve a Forest Service contractor who will clear timber from an additional 5 acres adjacent to the existing area. Once the timber has been safely removed, Coconino County Public Works will continue with the surface expansion creating a larger, safer area between the personal use cinder materials and the debris pit used for public disposal of natural woody materials.

Unfortunately, due to the hazardous nature of the site undergoing construction, the entire pit will remain closed for public use for the remainder of the year to ensure public safety. Kaibab National Forest and Coconino County officials hope to complete the entire project by spring of 2019 and expect the Moonset Pit to be fully operational and open for both uses by the summer of 2019.

In the interim, alternative locations have been designated to provide residents options to access personal use cinders and provide a location for dumping of herbaceous materials from cleanup of private properties.

The W-Triangle Cinder Pit just north of Spring Valley will be available to residents for personal use cinder collection. Personal mineral material permits are available at the William Ranger District office at 742 S Clover road during regular business hours Monday through Friday.

The alternative green waste disposal site will be at the old dump site off Buggy Wheel road on forest road 900 north of Pittman Valley off forest road 74. Scheduled days and hours of operation at this temporary location will be made available by early next week. Access will only be permitted during open hours of operation.

Residents are encouraged to take advantage of these services in order to make their private property more defensible against the threat of wildland fire. No garbage, household trash, building materials, lumber or other items will be allowed. Materials should not be bagged.The success of this community provision is largely attributed to the volunteers of the Parks Area Connection and Sherwood Forest Fire District who staff these pits during open hours of operation. This annual service is also supported by the Kaibab National Forest and the Rural Communities Fuels Management Partnership.

For more information on the about the Moonset Pit expansion project contact Deirdre McLaughlin at damclaughlin@fs.fed.us 928-635-5662
For additional information on creating defensible space, visit www.firewise.org or fireadapted.org/