Forest Service to host public meetings on Four-Forest Restoration Initiative refined proposed action

Open house in Williams Aug. 25

WILLIAMS, Ariz. - Members of the public are invited to two open houses scheduled by the Forest Service to provide information and solicit comments on the Four-Forest Restoration Initiative (4 FRI) refined proposed action.

The first open house is scheduled for tomorrow from 4-7:30 p.m. at the Williams Ranger District office, 742 S. Clover Rd., Williams. The second open house is scheduled for Aug. 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Coconino National Forest Supervisor's Office, 1824 S. Thompson St., Flagstaff.

Members of the public may attend any time during the hours scheduled for the open houses to receive information about 4 FRI and the refined proposed action and to provide comments.

The refined proposed action details the Forest Service's proposal to conduct restoration activities on approximately 600,000 acres of the Coconino and Kaibab national forests in northern Arizona. The refined proposed action is available at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/4fri/planning.

All comments on the refined proposed action will be most helpful if received by Sept. 2. Written comments should be submitted to: Coconino National Forest, Attn: 4 FRI, 1824 S. Thompson St., Flagstaff, AZ 86001. Facsimile (fax) comments should be sent to (928) 527-3620, Attn: 4 FRI. Electronic comments should be submitted in a format such as an email message, plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), Word (.doc), or portable document format (.pdf) to 4FRI_comments@fs.fed.us. Please note, if using the email address, there is an underscore ("_") between "4FRI" and "comments."

The objective of the project is to re-establish forest structure, pattern, and composition, which will lead to increased forest resiliency and function at a landscape scale. This project is expected to put the project area on a trajectory toward comprehensive, landscape-scale restoration with benefits that include improved vegetation biodiversity, wildlife habitat, soil productivity, and watershed function. For additional information, please visit www.fs.usda.gov/4fri or contact project team leader Henry Provencio at (928) 226-4684.