Helicopter Log Extraction at Button Rock Preserve Scheduled for March 17-28

The City of Longmont announced today that helicopter flights to extract logs from steep areas of Button Rock Preserve will take place during the date ranges of March 17 to 21 and March 24 to 28, pending weather conditions. The log extraction is part of the city’s Spillway Knoll Forest Health and Wildfire Risk Reduction Project and the Button Rock Preserve Forest Stewardship Program, which was created to carry out stewardship treatments designed to improve the overall health of the preserve.

According to the city, “log extraction will reduce impacts on the forest floor, remove wildfire fuel from the landscape, and limit the need for slash pile burning.” The logs that cannot otherwise be accessed or removed by other machinery due to steep terrain will be removed via helicopter. The flights will be limited to one half workday. 

The Spillway Knoll Forest Health Project is a 34-acre forest health and wildfire risk reduction treatment near Button Rock Dam and Ralph Price Reservoir. The project, according to teh City of Longmont, will “help reduce the risk of severe wildfire to Ralph Price Reservoir — the primary source of drinking water for Longmont and Lyons — and protect utility infrastructure. The project was planned in consultation with foresters at the Colorado State Forest Service and is supported by a Strategic Fire Mitigation Grant (SFMG) from Boulder County.”

Trail and temporary road closures will be in effect within the immediate area of the helicopter operations. The North Shore Trail and the roadway along Ralph Price Reservoir will be closed during the work periods.

All logs generated by this project will be distributed as free firewood to the public as part of Longmont’s Surplus Wood Program.