Whitebark Institute, under the authority of the Inyo National Forest (INF), is collaborating on forest restoration by thinning trees to a more natural density to reduce the risk of high-severity wildfire within Mammoth Lakes and to overcome the current bark beetle infestation present in the area. Guided by foresters, the project follows the parameters of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implemented by the INF for fuels reduction of Mammoth Lakes Basin. Trees are selected using a marking guide which determines the number of trees per acre (including healthy ones) that will need to be removed to reduce excess fuels that have built up over 50 years. The area, dominated by lodgepole pine, is very dense and overcrowded with an increased sign of bark beetle activity.