Due to the ongoing bark beetle infestation and an aging forest, rangers from the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest have decided to cut down and sell a number of trees that are too thick, old, or have been affected by the bark-beetle.
The 875-acres where trees will be thinned and sold for timber is east of Kamas near the Cold Creek Campground. Loyal Clark, spokesperson for the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest said they will not be clear-cutting all of the trees in the area, instead they will be removing stands of Engelmann spruce, lodgepole pine and sub-alpine fir that are infected and replacing them with saplings.
According to a letter from the United States Department of Agriculture, 30 percent of the trees in the 875-acres will be harvested.
“In our forest, like a lot of areas in the West, the timber stands are all the same age and very dense. Which means that all of the trees are dying together,” Clark said. “As the trees age they become less resilient to the bark beetles and the infestation spreads.”
Clark added that due to the warm weather this year, the beetles are proliferating.
“The trees in this area are so dense and old that the beetles are just spreading from one stand to the next. Also because of how thick the trees are, no sunlight or nutrients are reaching the ground, inhibiting new trees from growing,” she said.
The proposed timber sale will include the infected and old trees while they still have economic value, according to Clark.
Uinta-Wasatch-Cache Forest Ranger Jim Gibson said campers and hikers may notice the thinning efforts in some parts of the forest but most clearings will be only around a quarter of an acre.
“This isn’t to just get rid of beetles,” Gibson said. “This is a way to start a new age class of trees that will be more resilient to the beetles. There will be more nutrients and room for the trees to grow. This is a common practice to get new growth.
Gibson added that the bark-beetle infestation has reached epidemic proportions and that there isn’t much the U.S. Forest Service can do to stop the infestation other than harvesting the dead trees.
The Forest Service has yet to put the project out to bid but Clark estimates that the sale of the timber will cover the cost of thinning the forest.
“We want to get some comment from the public before we move ahead or find a contractor,” Clark said. ” thinning the forest we will create a better habitat for wildlife, benefit from the economic value of the trees and help the forest regenerate.”
For more information visit www.fs.usda.gov/main/uwcnf/home