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February 23, 2011
USDA Forest Service
Kaibab National Forest
Historic Agreement Signed to Restore Northern Arizona
Forests
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Today conservationists, scientists,
industry representatives, community leaders and the U.S. Forest Service signed
an historic agreement to restore ponderosa pine forests in four national
forests in northern Arizona. More than 20 organizations signed a Memorandum of
Understanding between the Four Forest Restoration Initiative Collaborative
Stakeholder Group and the Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, Kaibab and Tonto
National Forests.
"The MOU represents many long hours, days and months of work and
collaboration between the Forest Service and stakeholders who are vested in
restoring Arizona forests,” said Coconino National Forest Supervisor Earl
Stewart. “The signing of this document illustrates how different people and
organizations with varying viewpoints can come together and work toward an
extremely important and common goal."
Northern Arizona University President John Haeger said the vision of the MOU
aligns with the university’s goals of cultivating partnerships to advance
renewable resources, sustainable practices and environmental responsibility.
“Through the Ecological Restoration Institute and ForestERA, Northern
Arizona University’s environmental and social research regarding these
regional landscapes will continue to contribute to this ambitious effort,”
said Dr. Haeger. “As wildfires grow in magnitude and intensity, the need for
restorative action on a level that matches the size of our southwestern fires
is urgent.”
The MOU is designed to accelerate large-scale restoration across the Mogollon
Rim to support resilient, diverse stands that sustain native biodiversity;
safely re-establish natural fire regimes; reduce fire threats to communities;
create sustainable forest industries that strengthen local economies while
conserving natural resources and aesthetic values; and engage the public
through increased public outreach, education and support for this initiative.
“From a multitude of perspectives, be it rancher, recreationist, hunter,
scientist and others, the restoration of our forests to a healthy condition is
critical to the economic and physical well-being of our communities. Coconino
County’s experience this past summer with the Schultz Fire and flooding
illustrates how an entire county suffers when a catastrophic fire occurs in a
community’s back yard,” said Coconino County Supervisor Mandy Metzger.
“Today’s signing celebrates the collaborative process that supports the
4FRI. It also is a powerful public statement that demonstrates the broad-based
commitment to move this critical process forward.”
"Navajo County is proud to stand in partnership with the other members
of the Four Forest Initiative stakeholder group and the U.S. Forest Service on
this historic MOU. Never before in the history of our nation's forests has such
a diverse group united in support of a project of such significant scale and
importance," declared Navajo County Supervisor David Tenney. "The
members of this stakeholder group understand what the residents of Navajo
County have known for years: that preventing landscape-scale fires requires a
landscape-scale solution that includes industry, science, and collaboration.
The Initiative is Arizona's, and the country's, only hope for restoring our
forests."
“The residents of Gila County have been waiting a long, long time for this
day”, said Gila County Supervisor Tommie Martin. “I’m honored to be part
of this group, and very much look forward to seeing the restoration take place
that we’ve all agreed on – it’s long past overdue”.
The MOU calls for the Forest Service and 4FRI members to work together
through the process of framing the issues, developing a range of treatments,
analyzing impacts and identifying preferred actions.
“The clock is ticking for Arizona’s forests. Failure to make progress
puts communities at risk and keeps people from new, much-needed jobs,” said
Patrick Graham, director of The Nature Conservancy in Arizona. “The bold plan
and broad groups of supporters for this agreement is the way things will get
done in the future, especially because there are going to be far fewer public
dollars to support this kind of work. We are very excited about helping turn
this into action on the ground to benefit people and nature.”
“Today marks a turning point for northern Arizona’s forests and the
communities and species that call them home,” said Todd Schulke, forest
policy analyst at the Center for Biological Diversity. “After a century of
ecosystem decline, the long-overdue restoration envisioned by the Four Forest
Restoration Initiative will set forested landscapes on a path of recovery.
We’re excited to part of that endeavor.”
“If an effort of this scale is going to work anywhere, it’s going to
work here,” said Ethan Aumack, Director of Restoration Programs for the Grand
Canyon Trust. “From the science to the social license to the wood utilization
capacity, we have all the necessary pieces in place - and now it’s time to
move them in unison forward.”
“The MOU between the Forest Service and the 4FRI stakeholders, as well as
other critical collaborative documents such as the Path Forward, materialize
the best in collaboration” said Pascal Berlioux, president and CEO of Arizona
Forest Restoration Products Inc. “It often felt over the last five years that
landscape scale restoration in northern Arizona was about building bridges
between people and bridging gaps between organizational perspectives. This MOU
with the Forest Service completes the collaborative bridge started by the
stakeholders in the 4FRI Charter.” “But collaboration does not accomplish
enough if it does not translate into action. It is now time to cross that last
bridge and complete the planning and contracting processes that will allow
appropriate scale industry to build a small diameter trees utilization
infrastructure capable of offsetting treatment costs and funding landscape
scale restoration in northern Arizona.”
Signing on behalf of Arizona’s loggers is the Northern Arizona Loggers
Association. “It has been a long process with a great deal of effort on many,
many fronts to get to this historic event,” said NALA treasurer Allen Ribelin.
“We look forward to the contracting opportunities for our members that 4FRI
will bring to the forests of Northern Arizona.”
Last month, the Forest Service released its Proposed Action for the first
750-thousand acres analyzed. The public comment period continues through March
14. For a look at the Proposed Action visit www.fs.usda.gov/goto/kaibab/4fri
For more information about the 4FRI log onto www.4FRI.org.
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Here are some of the old news stories that
can add perspective to things that are happening now...
Street
Naming and Standard Addressing
Ordinance
March
30, 2004
The recently passed
Street Naming and Standard Addressing
Ordinance is now a project.
Dharmesh Jain,
Coconino County's Director of Geographic Information Systems Department
indicates that the standards project will start in areas that aren't yet
completely built-up, such as Parks and Kaibab Estates.
The Street Naming and Standard Addressing
project will probably reach Mountainaire and Kachina Village in about two years.
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Kachina Village
Forest Health Project
March
30, 2004
Recent snows and runoff had caused Southwest Forest Products to
suspend work on the Kachina Village
Forest Health Project.
Now that the forest floor has firmed-up, crews are again working
to thin forest growth south of Kachina Village.
They are currently working the forest/Kachina Village interface
south of Toho Trail.
January
15, 2004
Work on a fuel reduction project called the Kachina Village
Forest Health Project has begun near Forest Highlands and Kachina Village.
The planning, bidding, contract awarding, and other
administrative tasks have been in process for many months... and now we have
saws in the woods!
As you can see, it looks much better, too.
As has been well demonstrated in recent years, a forest fire can
start deep in the forest and quickly move to inhabited areas.
This project is only a start
in the effort to reduce the huge buildup in wildfire fuel, and was initiated
prior to the passage of more recent Federal legislation called the Healthy Forest Initiative.
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Healthy Forest Restoration Act Becomes Law
January
15, 2004
Forest health and control of forest fires is
of primary importance to South of Flagstaff residents.
The Healthy Forest Restoration Act legislation establishes a national program to thin
and revitalize the nation's national forests.
The legislation was recently
passed by the Congress and signed into law by President Bush.
Forest management professionals have long urged adoption of a
comprehensive program to improve forest health.
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December 3, 2003
President Bush Signs
Healthy Forests Restoration Act into Law
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On December 3, 2003, President Bush signed into law the Healthy Forests
Restoration Act of 2003 to reduce the threat of destructive wildfires while
upholding environmental standards and encouraging early public input during
review and planning processes. The legislation is based on sound science and
helps further the President.s Healthy Forests Initiative pledge to care for
America.s forests and rangelands, reduce the risk of catastrophic fire to
communities, help save the lives of firefighters and citizens, and protect
threatened and endangered species.
-
The Healthy Forests Restoration Act:
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Strengthens public participation in developing high priority forest
health projects;
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Reduces the complexity of environmental analysis allowing federal land
agencies to use the best science available to actively manage land under
their protection;
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Provides a more effective appeals process encouraging early public
participation in project planning; and
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Issues clear guidance for court action against forest health projects.
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The Administration and a bipartisan majority in Congress supported the
legislation and are joined by a variety of environmental conservation
groups.
The Need for Common-Sense Forest Legislation
-
Catastrophic fires, particularly those experienced in California, Arizona,
Colorado, Montana and Oregon over the past two years, burn hotter and faster
than most ordinary fires.
-
Visibility and air quality are reduced, threatening even the health of
many who do not live near the fires.
-
The habitat for endangered species and other wildlife is destroyed.
-
Federal forests and rangelands also face threats from the spread of
invasive species and insect attacks.
-
In the past two years alone, 147,049 fires burned nearly 11 million
acres
-
2002: 88,458 fires burned roughly 7 million acres and caused
the deaths of 23 firefighters;
-
2003 (thus far): 59,149 fires have burned 3.8 million acres and
caused the deaths of 28 firefighters.
-
Nearly 6,800 structures have been destroyed in 2003 (approximately
4,800 in California).
-
The California fires alone cost $250 million to contain and 22
civilians have died as a result.
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Here is the new legislation's executive
summary.
Executive Summary
Healthy
Forest : An Initiative for Wildfire Prevention and Stronger Communities
The American people, their property, and our environment, particularly the
forests and rangelands of the West, are threatened by catastrophic fires and
environmental degradation. Hundreds of millions of trees and invaluable habitat
are destroyed each year by these severe wildfires. These unnaturally extreme
fires are caused by a crisis of deteriorating forest and rangeland health, the
result of a century of well-intentioned but misguided land management. Renewed
efforts to restore our public lands to healthy conditions are needed.
This fire season is already one of the worst in modern
history.
-
Already more than 5.9 million acres of public and private land have burned
this year, an area the size of New Hampshire and more than twice the average
annual acreage, with more than a month of fire season remaining. Fires have
burned 500,000 acres more than they had at this time during the
record-setting 2000 fire season.
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Hundreds of communities have been affected by these wildfires. Tens of
thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes, and thousands of
structures have been destroyed. With more people living near forests and
rangelands, it is becoming increasingly difficult to protect people and
their homes. Land managers must do more to address the underlying causes of
these fires.
Catastrophic fires are caused by deteriorating forest
and rangeland health.
America's public lands have undergone radical changes during the last century
due to the suppression of fires and a lack of active forest and rangeland
management. Frequent, low-intensity fires play an important role in healthy
forest and rangeland ecosystems, maintaining natural plant conditions and
reducing the buildup of fuels. Natural, low-intensity fires burn smaller trees
and undergrowth while leaving large trees generally intact. Natural fires also
maintain natural plant succession cycles, preventing the spread of invasive
plant species in forests and rangelands. This produces forests that are open and
resistant to disease, drought, and severe wildfires.
Today, the forests and rangelands of the West have become unnaturally dense,
and ecosystem health has suffered significantly. When coupled with seasonal
droughts, these unhealthy forests, overloaded with fuels, are vulnerable to
unnaturally severe wildfires. Currently, 190 million acres of public land are at
increased risk of catastrophic wildfires.
These deteriorated forest and rangeland conditions
significantly affect people, property, and ecosystem health.
-
Fuels have accumulated so significantly that fires no longer burn at
natural temperatures or rates, making them dangerous to fight and difficult
to control. Catastrophic wildfires grow extremely quickly, making them
difficult to control if they are not stopped immediately. For example, the
Rodeo fire in Arizona grew from 800 acres to 46,000 acres in just one day.
-
Nearly 83 percent of firefighters surveyed identified the need for fuels
reduction as the top priority for improving their safety.
-
Catastrophic wildfires burn at much higher temperatures than normal fires,
causing long-lasting and severe environmental damage. A large, catastrophic
fire can release the energy equivalent of an atomic bomb. Rather than
renewing forests, these fires destroy them. While most natural fires burn at
ground level and at relatively low temperatures, these catastrophic fires
burn at extreme temperatures, destroying entire forests and sterilizing
soils. These extreme fires can even kill giant sequoia trees that have
survived centuries of natural fires. It can take as long as a century for
forests to recover from such severe fires.
Enhanced measures are needed to restore forest and
rangeland health to reduce the risk of these catastrophic wildfires.
Federal, state, tribal and local governments are making unprecedented efforts
to reduce the buildup of fuels and restore forests and rangelands to healthy
conditions. Yet, needless red tape and lawsuits delay effective implementation
of forest health projects. This year's crisis compels more timely decisions,
greater efficiency, and better results to reduce catastrophic wildfire threats
to communities and the environment.
The Healthy Forests Initiative will implement core components of the National
Fire Plan's 10-year Comprehensive Strategy and Implementation Plan. This
historic plan, which was adopted this spring by federal agencies and western
governors, in collaboration with county commissioners, state foresters, and
tribal officials, calls for more active forest and rangeland management. It
establishes a framework for protecting communities and the environment through
local collaboration on thinning, planned burns and forest restoration projects.
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