Markit!'s Approach to Forest Fuels Reduction

The past hundred years of fire suppression and the lack of proper fire mitigation in the western United States has resulted in crowded and more fire-susceptible forests.  Prior to human intervention to suppress fires, forests experienced frequent but low-intensity fires that removed combustible materials such as diseased and dead trees and ladder fuels without substantial damage to mature trees.  These frequent, small-scale fires in forests also stimulated the growth of fire-resistant trees and substantially reduced the incidences of massive, catastrophic wildfires that we have experienced in recent years.  Current forestry research indicates that removing forest fuels creates more fire-resistant forests without causing long-term damage to forest resources, including watersheds, soil, and wildlife.

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Markit!'s Capabilities

Markit! offers both mechanical and handwork operations for reducing forest fuels. Markit!'s foresters will work on their own or in conjunction with Federal, State, and Local foresters to assess the needs of forests and timberlands and then write prescriptions for forest fuels reduction projects.
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​When such a prescription is agreed upon, Markit! will deploy the following resources, as appropriate for the terrain and scope of the project:

• Large-scale forestry equipment that can quickly and efficiently remove large stands of diseased or dead trees.
• Helicopter forestry operations that can remove fuels off of steep terrain not accessible by ground-based machinery.
• Small-scale forestry equipment that can more easily maneuver in tight quarters and selectively remove or thin undesirable trees and understory.
• Sawyers working with chainsaws on terrain beyond the reach of forestry equipment.