I know that the trails are flagged, and, last I heard, nothing got cut within the Spring timeline of the permit, but can anyone confirm that, and/or take a fairly educated guess at how long it will take to clear an area that size once the late Summer part of the permit comes into play?

It all depends on how quickly they want it cut. I could be done in a week but I doubt they are in that much of a hurry. It would be nice if it were cut for this winter so that hikers could get in it. I would love to listen to there stories.