A harvester shoots a tree through removing its branches in seconds, then the bare tree trunk is cut to the desired length for sale by the contractor in accordance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (FS) Kaibab National Forest, Williams Ranger District's Cougar Park Task Order, in Arizona, on December 4, 2018.
Today, “Timber Tom” Dauenhauer, a timber sale administrator for the Kaibab National Forest is visiting this restoration work site.The 1,342-acre Cougar Park Task Order is part of the broader Four Forest Restoration Initiative, which is intended to treat more than 2.4 million acres of ponderosa pine forest across northern Arizona. The work within the Cougar Park timber sale, located south of Bill Williams Mountain, is about 60 percent complete. The ultimate goal of the timber sale is to improve forest health and reduce the potential for high-intensity wildfires that could threaten lives, property, and natural resources. The Four Forest Restoration Initiative seeks to increase resilience in the fire-adapted ponderosa pine forest by reducing tree stand densities to a more historical level, which eventually reduces the potential for uncharacteristic wildfire. This work also offers greater protection for residents living in and adjacent to the wildland-urban interface, where developments and forested areas merge. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung. For more information please see:www.usda.govwww.fs.fed.us@usda@forestservice. Original public domain image from Flickr