BLM Alaska staff clear hazard trees on the Campbell Tract to increase public safety

BLM Alaska staff clear hazard trees on the Campbell Tract to increase public safety

Oct 28, 2024

This summer, the BLM Alaska Anchorage Field Office (AFO) and the Anchorage District Office (ADO) held two firewood events. During the events, participants collected approximately 350 cords of firewood. In addition, BLM staff issued more than 196 free firewood permits.

The availability of the firewood was made possible through a project taking place on the Anchorage Field Office's Campbell Tract, a 730-acre Special Recreation Management Area located in the heart of Anchorage, Alaska.

BLM staff members Aliza DuComb, Stolf Short, and Jared Hammatt are hard at work during the firewood giveaway event. Photo by BLM AlaskaMembers of the public cut logs into rounds at one of the log decks during the firewood giveaway event. Photo by BLM Alaska

The project was needed due to a Spruce Beetle outbreak that occurred from 2019-2022. In 2020, BLM ADO and AFO fuels, resources, and recreation staff came together to develop a plan to address hazard trees and the fuel load that were created by the outbreak. Staff determined that the dead trees needed to be removed in order to increase public safety.

Anchorage District Fuels Program staff worked with a local contractor to devise a two-year plan to remove the hazard trees. A 100-foot buffer on either side of the trails and roads, as well as around administrative buildings, was prioritized, totaling 277 acres that would be thinned and chipped. The project is approximately halfway through, and things are on schedule. So far, 148 acres have been thinned, with 129 acres remaining to be treated in the next year.

Ben Seifert, South Zone Fire Management Specialist for the Alaska Fire Service, stands in front of one of the log decks. Seifert was instrumental in the early planning stages of the project. Photo by BLM AlaskaDue to the narrow trail widths around the Campbell Tract, some unique equipment has been used for the project. Typically, fuels projects are done roadside, but this project was done alongside recreational trails. Photo by BLM Alaska

ADO Fuels Planner Jared Hammatt oversaw the contract for the project and worked closely with AFO resources and recreation staff who brought the firewood events to life and made sure the impact to Campbell Tract recreators was minimized. These events were made possible through a collaborative effort from staff across the AFO and ADO.

"This project, as with many successful BLM projects, is the result of a lot of hard work by a diverse team of people," Hammatt said. "By working together, we made Campbell Tract safer and provided a service and firewood to our public. A big thank you to all involved for making this happen!"

A busy log deck during the firewood giveaway event on the Campbell Tract. Photo by BLM Alaska

And all of those hazard trees? That's where the firewood comes from! The expectation is for there to be about 150 more cords of firewood because of this project.

BLM Alaska staff are excited for the opportunity to ensure that the firewood goes back to local communities in Alaska.

This project was conducted through funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.