The U.S. Forest Service is working to address the wildfire crisis in the West with the announcement of nearly a dozen landscapes they will focus on to prevent wildfires.
Chief Randy Moore was in Arizona on Thursday to announce that 11 more landscapes will be added to the top priorities list in the western U.S.
One of the 11 landscapes that will be added for treatment will be the San Carlos Apache Tribal Forest Protection on the San Carlos Reservation lands. There will be $32 million dedicated to this project which will treat 87,000 acres.
Officials say the work on the landscape will help protect international waters shared with the tribe, associated drinking water systems and residential areas.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Forest Service entered into a 10-year strategy to address wildfires in the West.
In 2022, the departments first announced a focus in Northern Arizona and Prescott areas as the first landscapes deemed high priority.
High-risk fire sheds are considered areas that have a high likelihood of a catastrophic fire with homes, communities, and infrastructure that’s at risk.
The departments will work to prevent wildfires by treating landscapes by working on thinning forests, and other preventions.
“In fiscal year (FY) 2023, we will increase our capacity for fuels and forest health treatments by incorporating new ways to work with our partners and communities, establishing mobile strike teams, and using new technology that allows us to plan and place treatments more effectively,” according to a fact sheet by the departments.
FACTS FROM FOREST SERVICE:
LANDSCAPE HIGHLIGHTS
This landscape includes National Forest System lands and San Carlos Reservation lands. For cross-boundary landscape restoration, at the Forest Service, we will work with the San Carlos Apache Tribe to build on the two Tribal Forest Protection Act projects they initiated. Work on the landscape will protect international waters shared with the Tribe, associated drinking water systems, and residential areas.
Fuels reduction work will also reduce the exposure to wildfire of the Mount Graham International Observatory and two telecommunications sites, which include primary communications systems for local law enforcement.
MECHANISMS FOR EXECUTION
Working cooperatively with the San Carlos Apache Tribe and various partners (including the National Forest Foundation, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the Mule Deer Foundation, and the Salt River Project), we will use contracts and other partnership agreements during initial hiring and training and on-the-ground fuels treatments and survey work.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
Work on this landscape will reduce wildfire exposure to communities within the San Carlos and Fort Apache Reservations. Landscape treatments will reintroduce wildland fire into fire-adapted ecosystems in a culturally sensitive way while emphasizing sustainable uses of cultural forest products, including clean water, traditional medicinal plant cover, firewood, and culturally significant food sources such as acorns, berries, and wildlife. Work will also foster public understanding and sharing of culturally significant information to better guide our land management decisions.
We expect to complete 87,000 acres of treatments between FYs 2023 and 2027. However, during the first 2 years, the San Carlos Apache Tribe will be hiring, and these new positions will add to the overall capacity to collaborate, develop, and implement projects across the landscape. Once the capacity is established to develop and implement critically important treatments, we will work together to treat beyond the initial 87,000 acres.
