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Show A - . t W. " - .. ' : )rf; JO. : ,: ' - v:-;- - .. ?, ; V , , t ; - . . I - h S '' r . . V7 Several local, county, state and federal dignitaries gathered gath-ered at Utah Forest Products in Escalante on Feb. 28 for a demonstration on the new Micromill, a mobile and self-contained self-contained sawmill manufactured in Canada. Those groups represented at the demonstration included the Forest Service, Dixie National Forest, Utah Division of ESCALANTE The' Escalante Center, in partnership with the Utah Rural Development Develop-ment and Utah Forest Products, is pleased to announce the arrival of the Micromill, a mobile and self-contained sawmill manufactured in Canada. Several local, county, state and federal dignitaries gathered on Thursday, Feb. 28, at the Utah Forest Products sawmill to watch a demonstration demonstra-tion of the Micromill and celebrate cele-brate its arrival. The Micromill, one of four in the nation, is especially designed de-signed to process small-diameter logs which results in the reduction of hazardous fuel buildup on the National Forests. This acquisition is directly aligned with the goals of the National Fire Plan that is based on an aggressive approach to reducing forest fires in llie West. Removing the small-diameter logs through an efficient, mobile and cost effective process using the Micromill will solve several issues at once. It will reduce fire ignition and supply the demand for small-diameter wood products. Acquired through grants received by the Escalante Center Cen-ter from the United States Forest Service, Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands and the Four Corners Sustainable Sustain-able Partnership, the Micromill represents an innovative direction direc-tion for the forest products industry. The Micromill will be purchased pur-chased by Utah Forest Products and will be in full operation in the coming weeks. Utah Forest Products and The Escalante Center are grateful for the Forestry, Fire and State Lands, Panoramaland Resource Conservation and Development, Grand Canyon Forest Foundation, Garfield County Commission, Escalante City Council, Utah State University Extension Services, Southern Utah University, State Bank of Southern Utah, and Utah Rural Community and Economic Development. Escalante Center, Utah Rural Development, Utah Forest Products Partner On Micromill immeasurable support they received from Scott Truman, Utah Rural Development Council, in the grant application process that began over a year ago. "It is gratifying to have a role in this type of economic development devel-opment that adds to the sustain-ability sustain-ability of Escalante and the region," remarked Quinn Griffin, executive director of The Escalante Center. The center cen-ter will take the lead in monitoring monitor-ing the progress of the Micro-mill. Micro-mill. Utah Forest Products is valued val-ued as an essential partner in forest management, restoration and fuel treatment on the National Forests. Stephen Steed, manager of the sawmill, said he feels that the Micromill is a great opportunity for the resource, the industry and the local operation. According to Steed, the Micromill will increase expertise expert-ise on small-diameter wood utilization, uti-lization, marketing, and innovative innova-tive forest restoration strategies. It will show that environmental and economic concerns can be compatible. The Micromill will demonstrate that the harvesting of small-diameter logs is not simply a method of extraction, but a method to actually manage the forest ecosystem restoration needs. Board Members of the Escalante Center noted that the project was a positive example of how federal land management manage-ment and state and county agencies agen-cies along with private and nonprofit non-profit entities can work together to reach a common goal such as healthy, sustainable national forests. |