Aerial mulching to cause temporary area closures on Arapaho National Forest
Northern Water/Courtesy Photo
Aerial mulching operations resumed on July 7 in the East Troublesome burn area of Arapaho National Forest in Grand County.
Northern Water is working with the USDA Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and Grand County to implement approximately 8,000 acres of high priority aerial mulching on federal lands this year to reduce the potential of hillslope erosion in watersheds at risk.
Mulching will occur mainly in the Drowsy Water Creek and Willow Creek watersheds, with a portion occurring in the North Fork of the Colorado River Watershed. For public and operational safety, area closures will be in place while the work is active.
A complete map and tentative schedule of where operations will occur is available on the Arapaho National Forest website; however, closures will only be effective in specific units when mulching is active. Phase One operations began July 7 east of CO Highway 125, north of C Lazy U Ranch.
The work is expected to last through the end of August, although weather could impact the schedule. Follow @usfsarp on Twitter and Facebook as well as GCwatershedrecovery.com for updates. The USDA Forest Service is contributing $10.2 million in Congressional fire recovery funding to help fund these operations.
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