Ashland, Ore.– Helicopter forest thinning started Tuesday, January 5th in the Ashland Watershed as part of the ongoing Ashland Forest Resiliency Stewardship Project. The tedious and noisy work is designed to reduce the risk of wildfires which in turn will protect water quality, while also improving the health of larger older trees.
“They will be more resilient to disease whether its insects, they will be more resilient to fire and also drought so it helps the health and vigor of the stand,” Donna Mickley of the Forest Service explains.
The project will be in full swing everyday for the next two weeks. Due to the dangerous work, a few trials and roads in the watershed will be closed for safety.
-Toothpick, Catwalk, Marty’s, Lamb Mine, Eastview, and Upper Caterpillar trails will be off limits.
-There will be no access to the 2060 road at the Caterpillar trail crossing between White Rabbit and Four Corners.
-Tolman Creek Road access to Four Corner and Eastview will also be closed.
It’s important to note that there may be fines for entering the listed areas.
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