| Contacts: | David Boyd, Public Affairs Specialist, (970) 947-2832 |
BLM to begin logging in Parsons Draw in Jackson County
KREMMLING, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management is seeking any public comments or concerns regarding a proposed 215-acre timber management project designed to reduce mountain pine beetle populations and remove accumulating fuels in Parsons Draw, 15 miles northwest of Walden, Colo.
The area is undergoing a significant mountain pine beetle outbreak, with about 85-95 percent of the lodgepole pine larger than 7-inches in diameter being currently infested or dead. Smaller diameter trees have been killed and continue to be attacked, primarily due to their proximity to larger, beetle-infested trees.
The treatments would be implemented with conventional, ground-based logging equipment to cut all dead, currently infested, and beetle/disease susceptible lodgepole pine and other conifer trees that are 7 inches and larger in diameter. Smaller lodgepole pine and other conifer trees, as well as aspen, would be reserved.
“This project is part of a larger fuels treatment and timber management project that went through a public review process in November 2007,” said BLM Kremmling Field Manager Dave Stout. “Before we begin this specific work in Parsons Draw, we want to see if there are any comments or concerns.”
Anyone with questions or concerns about this project should contact Ken Belcher at the Kremmling Field Office, 970 724-3065, or kenneth_belcher@blm.gov, by August 21, 2009.
The proposed action would most likely be accomplished through the North Park Stewardship Agreement, which is an agreement between the BLM and Jackson County for cooperative management of natural resources within the county to restore forest health and accomplish community resource management objectives on or near forested lands managed by the BLM.
The project should be completed in three to four years.
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.
2103 E. Park Avenue Kremmling, CO 80459