Contractors will begin working the mastication phase of the Evacuation Route Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project on the Bradshaw Ranger District no earlier than July 24, 2025. They will be using heavy equipment to masticate hazardous fuels within the approximately 240-acre area. This project is being implemented under the Bradshaw Landscape Environmental Assessment and is designed to reduce fuels along roads that may be utilized as evacuation routes in the event of wildfire.
Evacuation Route Phase 1 is located along the following roads and trails:
- Thumb Butte Road
- Deering Road
- Willow Springs GSC Road
- Copper Basin Road
- Sierra Prieta Trail #366
- Williams Peak Trail #738
- Bonanza Trail #743
- Garden Party Trail #0357
Some designated dispersed camping areas along Thumb Butte Loop Rd will be impacted. No area or road closures are expected but we ask the public to avoid the area and stay away from areas where the heavy equipment is operating. Approaching such equipment is very dangerous as the operator may not see you.
The intent of the project is to improve the health and resiliency of fire-adapted ecosystems while simultaneously reducing hazardous fuels that pose a threat to life and property in the Wildland-Urban Interface and allow safe evacuation in the event of wildfire.
For more information, please contact the Bradshaw Ranger District at (928) 443-8000.
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About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology– and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.
