The Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District on the Deschutes National Forest will be closing Forest Road 9701 beginning Thursday and lasting for up to two weeks.
Forest Road 9701, between Highway 97 and Forest Road 18, will be closed for up to two weeks while contractors reconstruct the 2.74 miles of road surface. The work will include widening the road and adding aggregate material in order to support additional traffic, and minimize overall fire risk and improve wildfire response.
This road reconstruction work is being done as part of the Cabin Butte Vegetation Management Project. This project includes a mix of commercial thinning and fuels reduction for the purpose of restoring forest health and minimizing wildfire risk adjacent to communities. View an interactive story map summary of the project here: http://bit.ly/CabinButteStoryMap. The Cabin Butte Vegetation Management Project is within the Central Oregon Landscape, one of 21 focal landscapes identified within the Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy. The restoration work that will be accomplished across the 25,780 acre project area supports the Deschutes National Forest’s commitment to addressing the Wildfire Crisis Strategy which aims to reduce severity of wildfires, protect communities, and improve the health and resiliency of fire-dependent forests.
