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Ashland watershed restoration work closures begin Friday Thursday Feb 23, 2017 at 8:14 PM Feb 23, 2017 at 8:14 PM Local report A new round of forest restoration in the Ashland Forest Resiliency Stewardship Project (AFR) is set to begin Friday, Feb. 24, in the hills above Ashland. Some trails and roads in the eastern Ashland Watershed will be temporarily closed to the public. The area closure, set to expire June 30, is being implemented to ensure public safety during helicopter thinning and log hauling operations that are a part of this critical project, the city announced in a prepared statement. Entry into the entire area is prohibited whether on roads and trails or off. The closure will be lifted earlier if work is completed ahead of schedule. Approximately 400 acres of selective thinning will take place in this final phase of helicopter work to reduce fire hazards, improve forest health, and enhance biodiversity in the city’s watershed. Helicopters are the preferred tool to minimize erosion during work on fragile soils inherent throughout the Ashland watershed. All closure areas will be marked with signs and maps. People are encouraged to remain aware of the continued project activity in the area, and to drive cautiously where log trucks are present. AFR partners want to get work done as quickly as possible and work cannot be completed with unauthorized people in work areas. Log trucks will drive down Tolman Creek Road above Siskiyou Boulevard on weekdays. Trucks will take Siskiyou to Crowson Road, behind Oak Knoll Golf Course and back to I-5 in order to avoid high traffic areas in town. Affected trails include: Marty’s, Catwalk, Bull Gap, Missing Link, Corp Camp, Upper and Lower Eastview, and Time Warp. Affected roads include: Upper Tolman Creek Road (2080) where it turns to dirt, 2080-200, 2060-500, 2060-600, and the main 2060 Ashland Loop Road on the east side of the watershed just above Lamb Mine and the Wagner Glade Trail junction. This includes the Four Corners trailhead. The official closure order and associated map will be posted on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest’s alerts page at bit.ly/usfsrrsnf and in the project area. Updates on the work in the Ashland Forest Resiliency Stewardship Project are available at www.ashlandwatershed.org and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AFR.Project. The AFR project is a partnership between the city of Ashland, Lomakatsi Restoration Project, The Nature Conservancy, and the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. AFR is a collaboratively developed, implemented, and monitored forest restoration and wildfire safety project in and around the Ashland Watershed.