Pioneer Forest Products Selected to Thin Arizona Forestland

click image to zoomUSDA Forest Service Pioneer Forest Products was selected by the Forest Service as the contractor to thin out Arizona forestland as part of the agency's Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI), a private-public endeavor endorsed not only by the agency but conservationists, scientists, local governments and industry leaders, as well.

This project, the largest contract ever granted by the Forest Service, is the first large step of the 4FRI in its  20-year plan to restore 2.4 million acres of ponderosa pine forest in northern Arizona. Nearly 300,000 acres of restoration-based thinning will occur over 10 years, reducing the risk of wildfires and improving forest health.

According to publish reports, the project is expected to create approximately 500 jobs.

Pioneer will perform treatments on the Coconino, Kaibab, Apache-Sitgreaves and Tonto national forests in northern Arizona. Specifically, Pioneer Forest Products plans to build a plant near Winslow, AZ, at which ponderosa pine timber will be converted into non-commodity, high value lumber, laminate wood panels, door and doorframe, window frames, furniture, cabinetry, and specialty components.