Stimulus funds go to Sisters forest work

As the first phase of Forest Service economic stimulus funds arrive in Central Oregon, two Deschutes National Forest contracts were awarded this week and last under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

A contract was awarded to Melcher Logging, Inc. in the amount of $1,472,000 for work in Jefferson County on the Sisters Ranger District. This work, on approximately 3,200 acres, will occur on the Head Thinning project, an existing stewardship project in the woods.

Another award, for $412,322, was made to GFP Contracting of Sisters for work on the Sisters Area Fuels Reduction (SAFR) Project. Work will begin on approximately 502 acres of the Deschutes National Forest near homes that have been evacuated during large wildfires in recent years. This contract creates work for approximately 40 people in Deschutes County.

An additional two million dollars worth of work will be awarded in coming weeks as project areas become free of snow.