Trails closed as forest thinning begins in Ashland Watershed

Matt Jordan February 24, 2017

Last Updated: February 24, 2017

Ashland, Ore — Several popular hiking trails will be closed in the Ashland watershed as crews use helicopters to thin forest lands.

The work begins tomorrow to remove smaller trees and undergrowth that can spark explosive fires in heavily forested areas.

Removing the trees by helicopter has minimal impact on the environment.

“We have 3 times more trees across the Rogue Basin than we have had historically and that presents a real problem for fires and how they burn and the effects on the ecosystem,” said Chris Chambers with the Ashland Fire Resiliency program.

For a list of closed trails you can visit http://www.ashland.or.us/news.asp?NewsID=3693

Matt Jordan

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Matt Jordan is the Chief Meteorologist for KOBI-TV NBC5. Matt joined the NBC5 weather team in 2014 after a year as a reporter and anchor in Alexandria, Louisiana. His experience with the severe weather of the Deep South and a love of the Pacific Northwest led him to pursue a certification with Mississippi State University as a Broadcast Meteorologist. You can find Matt working in the evenings of NBC5 News at 5, 6 and 11 as well as online. Matt also has a degree in Journalism from the University of Oregon. In addition to being passionate about news and weather, Matt is a BIG Oregon Ducks fan. When not rooting for the Ducks or tracking down the next storm over the Pacific, Matt can be found outdoors in the Oregon wilderness with his wife, his daughter and their dogs Stanley and Gordi.