The roar of chain saws and woodchippers that has been reverberating on Tubbs Hill recently fell silent. 

That’s a good thing. 

It means the fuel mitigation project that began in early June is finished, and as far urban forester Nick Goodwin is concerned, it was a huge success. 

"As smooth as I could have hoped for,” he said. 

Crews wrapped up their work on 60 acres of the 165-acre Tubbs Hill that included thinning and clearing a “significant” amount of branches, brush and dead trees, which Goodwin referred to as ladder fuels for wildfires. 

Trail closures were minimal during the four-week project. The city will burn slash piles left behind in the fall. 

Goals included improving forest health and reducing fire risks by removing fuels adjacent to abutting properties like McEuen Park and near high-use trails to create fire breaks. 

The project was funded by a $240,000 federal grant. 

With about $100,000 of the grant remaining, Goodwin said a team will begin planning fuel mitigation work for another 30 acres on Tubbs Hill, perhaps as soon as this year, to spend the remaining funds by November 2026. 

Goodwin said visitors to Tubbs Hills should notice a visible change in its physical appearance from the initial phase.

“I think the difference is going to be stark," he said.

Goodwin encouraged city staff to take a look for themselves.

“I urge you to go for a hike to check it out,” he wrote. 

The hill is popular, particularly in the summer. A trail counter tallied 387,027 visitors to Tubbs Hill last year. The peak day was July 4, when 6,474 made the trek up, down or around the city-owned land. 

Tubbs Hill, which is home to ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, Western white pine and larch trees, has a trail system that leads around, up to the 2,500-foot summit and down to the shoreline.

Results of the fuel mitigation work won’t last forever, Goodwin said, and the city will need to be vigilant to reduce ladder fuels.

“Plants regenerate,” he said. 

Meantime, the completed 60-acre mitigation work “gives us a starting point” to build a "true fuel mitigation program” for Tubbs Hill, Goodwin added.