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Experts say decades of managing tribal forest helped stop Wallow Fire at reservation
For decades, the White Mountain Apache Tribe has cleared young trees, logged larger trees and burned underbrush to replicate the natural burn-and-growth cycle of the Ponderosa pine forest. Jonathan Brooks, tribal forest manager for the tribe, said that made it easy for firefighters to create a backfire here to deprive the approaching Wallow Fire of fuel.
The ‘Hart’ of Hart Prairie
On the western slopes of the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff is a beautiful area known as Hart Prairie. Its 8,500-foot elevation suggests short summers and long, cold winters, but surprisingly; it was one of the first areas around Flagstaff to be homesteaded because of its lush grasses, bountiful timber and readily available water.
State forester: Thinning now can prevent large wildfires later
Arizona’s forests must be thinned to address overgrowth that harms watersheds and endangers wildlife and surrounding communities, the state’s top forestry official told lawmwakers Thursday.
