The Prescott National Forest (PNF) is planning the Christina Draw, Goddard, and Log Springs Project on 10,240 acres within the Verde Ranger District (Figure 1). The project’s purpose is to improve the health and resiliency of fire-adapted ecosystems by restoring and maintaining fire to a more natural role, reduce fire hazards in strategic locations to improve fire protection and human safety around communities within the project area, and improve the quality of wildlife habitat while reducing the risk of catastrophic fire.
Project activities would consist of timber harvesting, mastication, and prescribed burning. Timber harvesting will utilize mechanized equipment such as feller-bunchers, skidders, processors, loaders, harvesters, forwarders, and logging trucks. Slash resulting from thinning activities may be scattered and left on the ground, burned, or removed as a biomass product. Mastication will utilize mechanical mastication equipment, which may be rubber-tired or tracked. Slash resulting from mastication activities may be scattered and left on the ground, burned, or removed as a biomass product. Follow-up treatment in these areas might involve mastication and prescribed burning to maintain the desired conditions.
