A 45,000 acre Allegheny National Forest project that includes parts of four Warren County municipalities has been approved.

Bradford District Ranger Rich Hatfield signed off on the Fourmile Project on Tuesday.

“This project decision will help address a number of resource issues, particularly forest health in the Fourmile Project Area,” Hatfield said. “I greatly appreciate the work of our staff in developing this project and the support of our local communities as we moved to sign the project decision.”

The project includes federal land in Mead, Sheffield and Glade townships as well as Clarendon Borough in addition to Hamilton Township in McKean County.

Several specific objectives including road improvements, 2,647 acres of timber harvest and reforestation, 382 acres of prescribed fires, non-native plant treatment and “a wide variety of activities to restore, maintain and enhance wildlife and aquatic habitat,” according to a statement.

The health of the forest is a core element of this initiative.

“One of the objectives of the Allegheny National Forest Plan is to have balanced tree age classes across the landscape,” Hatfield said. ” The Fourmile Project Area consists of more than 50 percent of stands in the Mature (81-110 years) structure class with about 6 percent in Early and Young (0-20 year) structure class.

“This project will assist in our objective of rebalancing tree age classes in the project area.”