Next month, a logging project will resume on the Coconino National Forest south of Flagstaff. As Arizona Public Radio’s Ryan Heinsius reports, it’s is designed to decrease fire danger in an area adjacent to neighborhoods outside the city.
About 570 acres in the Priest Draw area east of Mountainaire will be thinned as part of the Howard Timber Sale. According to officials, the operation will help protect the more than 500 homes in the area from wildfire. It’ll also restore the forest to more natural conditions and improve animal habitat.
Forest managers say the work will temporarily change the appearance of the landscape as hazardous fuels are removed using heavy machinery. But within two years the area will recover from the work, increasing forest health and the amount of vegetation and wildlife.
The thinning project is a continuation of work from last year.
