Wood Shreds Delivery Begins for Butte Fire Stabilization Efforts
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EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. – As part of ongoing rehabilitation and stabilization efforts by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and its partners to stabilize areas burned during the 2015 Butte Fire, wood shred material will be delivered in areas of Calaveras County beginning Jan. 25.
Over the course of two weeks, nearly 300 truckloads of material will be delivered to a staging area along Jesus Maria Road and other roads in the area. The BLM is working with Calaveras County to minimize travel disruptions as much as possible, however residents should anticipate heavy traffic.
Once the wood shreds are delivered, Mountain West Helicopters, under a contract managed by the BLM, will conduct aerial application of the material to help minimize erosion caused by heavy rainfall in areas affected by the fire. The project will spread 35,000 cubic yards of wood shreds by helicopter on over 1,400 acres over the next two months. About 100 acres have had rice straw spread on them for erosion control thus far.
"This is the latest phase of work to stabilize and rehabilitate burned areas," said Bill Haigh, Field Manager for the Mother Lode Field Office. "Utilizing aerial application techniques will help us cover a more ground in a shorter period of time, mitigating the potential for erosion due to anticipated heavy rainfall."
The BLM awarded a $2 million contract for the helicopter work to Mountain West Helicopters of Alpine, Utah.
The 2015 Butte Fire, affecting Calaveras and Amador counties, burned a total of 70,868 acres, 12,058 of which are managed by the BLM.
For more information, contact the Mother Lode Field Office at (916) 941-3101.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.