Nebraska Forest to Thin More Trees

By Paul Hammel

LINCOLN — After thinning 5,000 acres to reduce fire risks and disease, the Nebraska National Forest at Halsey is planning to thin its remaining 17,000 acres of trees.

Public meetings to discuss the project will be held Tuesday at Stub’s Restaurant in Thedford and Wednesday at the Midtown Holiday Inn in Grand Island. Both meetings will be from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Thinning the rest of the forest — the largest hand-planted forest in the nation — would help prevent a catastrophic fire like the one in 1965 that blackened 10,000 acres of trees, said Patti Barney, district ranger.

Written comments on the proposal can be sent until Jan. 25 to Bessey II Hazardous Fuels Project, Nebraska National Forest, P.O. Box 39, Halsey, NE 69142, or via e-mail: comments-rocky-mountain- nebraska-bessey@fs.fed.us — Paul Hammel