Thinning work to temporarily close trail west of Bend

On Tuesday, the Deschutes National Forest is planning to close Steve Larsen Trail in West Bend for approximately three days while thinning operations are occurring.

Contractors will be commercially thinning a 36 acre timber sale unit in West Bend April 14-16. Steve Larsen Trail is located near the junction of Forest Roads 4130 and 4110 between Tiddlywinks and Tyler’s trails and will be closed from 4:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. while contractors work in the area. Work is expected to be completed by Thursday afternoon.

Additionally, mastication work will begin on April 13 th and is expected to finish by the end of the week. The 66 acre unit is approximately a mile south of Century Drive and west of Arlies Rock.

For up-to-date trail information in West Bend, visit: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/webmaps/deschutes/west-bend/

Thinning – Commercial thinning in this area is used to provide a diversity of forest structure and associated wildlife habitats that are reflective of the forest’s historic structure.

Mastication – This restoration process is designed to decrease the potential impacts of a wildfire to private property and recreational areas by removing brush and small trees. The public is reminded to use caution when recreating around machinery due to dust and flying debris.

The West Bend Vegetation Project is the first project from the Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project area that the Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project Steering Committee and the Deschutes National Forest have worked on together from the very beginning of designing, through planning, and now to implementation.