Safety precaution: logging operations begin in First Notch area

Bayfield, Colo., May 20, 2025 —Timber harvesting and hauling operations will soon begin on the 600-acre First Notch Stewardship Project on the San Juan National Forest Columbine Ranger District. This project will take place on First Notch Road (NFSR 620) from now until early fall. Visitors should take safety precautions when traveling in the area, as logging trucks and heavy equipment will be operating and traveling along roadways.

This project aims to reduce fuels and create canopy spacing in the tree overstory to reduce the potential for high-severity wildfire, in addition to supporting local and regional wood product industries. The First Notch timber sale is possible thanks to a partnership with the National Wild Turkey Federation. 

Road reconstruction and improvements will also take place from milepost 0 to 1.45 in late August/early October on First Notch Road to improve drainage and surface problems. These improvements will support the additional usage associated with timber hauling.

While the USDA Forest Service and partners are performing fire risk reduction work, we hope you—our community members—are doing the same for your homes and neighborhoods, mitigating wildfire risk in rural settings, the wildland-urban interface, and in the urban environment. Check out resources from Colorado State Forest Service's Live Wildfire Ready program to prepare your home for wildfire and make sure you're ready when the inevitable occurs: https://csfs.colostate.edu/live-wildfire-ready/

For more information on the First Notch project, please contact Columbine Timber Sale Administrator Emma Schultz at emma.schultz@usda.gov. 

For information on the San Juan National Forest, call (970) 247-4874, visit the forest website, or follow us on social media (X and Facebook).

-USDA-

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