U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
| Contacts: | David Boyd, (970) 947-2832 |
BLM to Reduce Forest Fuels Near Gypsum
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management will be conducting fuels reduction work this summer at its Gypsum Campground and near the Sky Legend Subdivision above Gypsum. The projects will reduce wildfire hazards in these areas and will be conducted between June 22 and the end of September.
The 49-acre Sky Legend project is on public land bordering the Sky Legend Subdivision. Crews from the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit will limb pinyon and juniper trees to reduce “ladder fuels,” which are limbs near the ground that can carry fire into the forest canopy. Some smaller trees will be thinned. Trimmed branches as well as dead and downed woody materials will be piled to be burned when fire danger is low.
“Reducing the fuels in this area will help reduce the risk of a wildfire burning from public lands into the subdivision,” said Ody Anderson, BLM Fuels Specialist. “It will increase the safety of both the public and firefighters.”
At Gypsum Campground, crews will thin brush around campsites and remove some hazardous trees near the day-use area. Resulting slash will be chipped and hauled off-site. Crews will also spray noxious weeds.
For specific questions related to this project, contact BLM Fuels Specialist Ody Anderson (970) 309-4089.
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.
50629 Highway 6 & 24 Glenwood Springs, CO 81601