LHSF FY24 Wildfire Restoration Tree Clearing

Loess Hills State Forest is a working forest managed by the Iowa DNR. We are responsible for managing nearly 12,000 acres of land including approximately 6,000 acres of deciduous forest, 1,000 acres of coniferous forest, 1,500 acres of prairie remnants, 1,000 acres of grasslands and 2,500 of hay and cropland used to provide habitat for wildlife. On April 13, 2023 a large wildfire broke out in our Preparation Canyon unit which impacted over 2,400 acres of Loess Hills State Forest property. The forested portions of this wildfire area received extensive damage from this event which has led to large scale tree mortality. We have inventoried the impacted forested resources in the wildfire area and have determined that the best course of action is to remove the above ground portions of the severely damaged trees that have no economic value. This will allow us to restore and manage these areas in accordance with our forest stewardship plan and increase safety for our users by eliminating standing dead and dying trees. *Contractors are invited to bid on both tasks, but each task will be rewarded individually, and not as a whole. This will not exclude the opportunity for one contractor to win both bids. **All locations provided are subject to change, but total acreage should not. Project manager will communicate any location changes and provide maps if necessary. Please reach out to Philip Payton @ philip.payton@dnr.iowa.gov for directions on how to bid.