| Contacts: | Ken Reed at (719) 269-8576 | |||
| Leah Quesenberry at (719) 269-8547 |
BLM Seeks Public Input on Forestry Proposal
CANON CITY, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management Royal Gorge Field Office is evaluating a proposal to commercially thin approximately 65 acres of second growth lodgepole pine forest through either post and pole or firewood sales.
The project, known as East Fork Thinning and Mistletoe Sanitation, involves two isolated BLM 40-acre parcels in the Leadville area. The parcels are located in Lake County (T.10S., R.80W., Section 7 NW1/4, SW1/4; T.9S., R.80W., Section 15 NW1/4, SE1/4).
The proposal promotes healthy, resilient forests and reduces ladder and canopy fuels, which lower the risk of catastrophic stand replacing wildfire. The proposal would improve wildlife habitat, understory plant species vigor, maintain the local forest industry, and reduce bark beetle risk. The project is a cooperative effort with Colorado State Forest Service and surrounding private landowners.
A forest inventory completed during the fall of 2009 on the East Fork unit indicates that there are currently more than 700 trees per acre. The proposed thinning would reduce the forest density to approximately 100 trees per acre. The goal will be to remove 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, only temporary roads to access timber, which will be closed upon completion of the timber removal.
Comments concerning this proposal should be received by March 15, 2010. Please address your written comments to Bureau of Land Management, Royal Gorge Field Office, Attn: East Fork Thinning and Mistletoe Sanitation, 3028 East Main Street, Cañon City, CO. 81212. E-mail comments can be sent to: rgfo_comments@blm.gov. If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact Ken Reed at (719) 269-8576 or Leah Quesenberry at (719) 269-8547.
If you wish to withhold your name and/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. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials or organizations or businesses, are available for public inspection in their entirety.
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 East Main Street Canon City, CO 81212