WILLIAMS — Timber and silviculture staff on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest will begin tree marking operations next week and continuing through the spring, between Forest Road 141 (Spring Valley Road), and Forest Road 76 in advance of eventual tree thinning operations to improve forest health conditions.

The area to be marked is part of the 4,400-acre Moonset Task Order, which will eventually be issued for treatment under the 1st Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) Environmental Impact Statement. Active forest restoration work will occur once the task order has been issued to a contractor, which is expected in 2017. In the meantime, residents and visitors to the area can expect to see trees and internal boundaries marked with orange paint, which will eventually serve as visual guidance to the contractor regarding Forest Service expectations for treatment.

A portion of the tree marking operations will take place on National Forest land that borders private property. Land owners in these areas may notice an increased number of Forest Service personnel and vehicles in the area over the next few months while tree marking operations are completed.

The objectives for treating the area within the Moonset Task Order are to reduce fuel loading and the potential for future high-intensity wildfires and to improve wildlife habitat and overall forest health.

The goal of the 4FRI is to accelerate the pace and scale of restoration within 2.4 million acres of ponderosa pine forest in northern Arizona to increase resilience and proper functioning. Restoring this fire-adapted ecosystem is accomplished with a suite of restoration activities – from watershed maintenance and habitat improvements to prescribed burning and thinning.