MAZAMA — Work will begin this summer on a massive thinning project on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest near Mazama, prompted by efforts from residents to clear their own land of the dense forest conditions that promote wildfires and insect or disease infestations.
A $1 million contract has been awarded to 5 Star Forestry, an Idaho company that will spend the next two summers clearing small-diameter trees on 1,485 acres on the Methow Valley Ranger District. Some of the wood will be left for firewood-gatherers.
It’s called the Lost Driveway Project because it initially went from Lost River Road to Driveway Butte, but it expanded greatly when interest among local residents grew, said Meg Trebon, the ranger district’s assistant fire management officer.
More than 60 percent of the units involved are next to private property, where dozens of private property owners worked with the state Department of Natural Resources to thin fuels and reduce the forest’s susceptibility to wildfires and insects. All the land immediately next to private property has been treated.