| Contacts: | Contact: Ken Reed 719-269-8500 | |||
| Leah Quesenberry 719-269-8547 |
BLM SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON FORESTRY PROPOSAL
CANON CITY, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management Royal Gorge Field Office is seeking public input on a proposal to commercially thin 160 acres of second growth forest through the Habitat Restoration Biomass Royal Gorge Biomass project.
“This project will promote healthy resilient forests, reduce ladder and canopy fuels leading to a lower risk of catastrophic wildfire,” BLM forester Ken Reed said. “Additionally, the proposal will improve wildlife habitat and understory plant species vitality.”
The most common tree species found throughout the project area are ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir. A forest inventory, completed during the summer of 2009 on 70 acres within the project area, indicate that there are currently more than 400 trees per acre. The proposed thinning would reduce the forest density to approximately 100 trees per acre. The thinning guidelines will concentrate on removing mainly smaller trees, trees infected with mistletoe and trees with small or declining crowns. A representation of all tree sizes would be left to maintain tree age class diversity. No new roads will be created by the activity. Any temporary roads used to access timber will be closed upon completion of the timber removal.
Please provide any comments by Dec. 28, 2009. Written comments can be mailed to the Royal Gorge Field Office, Attn: Buffalo Gulch Stewardship, 3028 East Main St., Cañon City, CO 81212. Electronic comments can be sent to: rgfo_comments@blm.gov. Comments, including names and addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the Royal Gorge Field Office during regular business hours. If you wish to withhold your name or address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your written comment.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
3028 E Main Street Canon City, CO 81212