USFS seeks input on large forest project S. of Bend

The Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest on Friday began a 30-day public scoping period on a large vegetation treatment project in the Cabin Butte area, southeast of Bend.

The Cabin Butte Vegetation Management Project would treat about 25,780 acres of forested stands, primarily Ponderosa pine, to increase forest resilience to wildfires, insects and disease.

A portion of the project,11,600 acres, is within the Greater Bend Community Wildfire Protection Plan area. About 1,000 private structures, primarily homes, are within a mile of the project boundary.

For an interactive summary of the proposal, the public is encouraged to check out the Cabin Butte story map: http://bit.ly/CabinButteStoryMap . All the information on the proposal and how to submit comments can be found in the scoping notice at http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=56998

Public scoping is the earliest step of the planning process. It gives the public a chance to tell the Forest Service what issues and concerns people think should be addressed in the development of the vegetation management project. The public scoping period on the project began Friday and ends on Thursday, Nov. 14.

The public will have an additional opportunity to comment on the project when the draft environmental assessment is released.

Public comments may be submitted to comments-pacificnorthwest-deschutes-bend-ftrock@usda.gov. Please put “Cabin Butte Project” in the subject line of the email, officials said.

Comments may also be submitted in writing by mail or in person. Written comments should be sent or delivered to Kevin Larkin, District Ranger, Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District, 63095 Deschutes Market Road, Bend, OR 97701. Hand-delivered and oral comments may be brought to the same address during normal business hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

For more information, contact Lauren DuRocher , Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District planner, at lauren.durocher@usda.gov or 541-383-4721.

KTVZ 2019