Ongoing forestry work in the hills above Ashland will lead to some of the trails and roads on the west side of the watershed could be closed as early as Wednesday April, 13th.
Work by crews on the Ashland Forest Resiliency Stewardship Project is beginning to transition from the east (Four Corners side) to the west (Granite St and Horn Gap side). If weather is favorable, the helicopter will move to the Horn Gap area, necessitating trail and road closures.
Horn Gap Trail will be totally closed and the No Cadies Trail will be closed at Skyline Mine (end of the 2060-400 road). The 2060-200 road will be closed (access to bottom of Horn Gap Trail) and the main 2060 will be closed at the 2060-400 road junction.
Project managers say they're working hard to keep the closures to a minimum and allow as much safe public access as possible during this transition.
The east side will open further beyond Four Corners as operations wind down in that area, but Four Corners and above including Tolman above Toothpick is still closed due to heavy log truck traffic and helicopter tree thinning.
Crews are using an unusual burning technique to minimize smoke from burning excess forest fuels. The Air Curtain Burner (ACB) Firebox is being deployed this month to help restore the small log landing areas like Lamb Saddle. The firebox is an innovative solution that reduces wildfire fuels by burning small woody debris in place.
This is the first time in recent memory a firebox has been used in Southern Oregon. The ash produced from the ACB Firebox is natural, clean, and good for the soil and crews will spread it before planting native trees and shrubs to hasten recovery.
The Ashland Forest Resiliency Stewardship Project is a 10-year project to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health in the Ashland watershed. The project is jointly managed by the US Forest Service, the Lomakatsi Restoration Project, the Nature Conservancy and the City of Ashland.
For more information,. go to www.AshlandWatershed.org.
