biomass.forestguild.org - 1037 WMSP - Eagar South WUI Fuel Reduction Project, AZ

Eagar South WUI Fuel Reduction Project

Apache County, AZ
Case study submitted by Gary Snider, School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University.

Project ID: 1037

1. Name - WMSP - Eagar South WUI Fuel Reduction Project

In 2004, in response to the Healthy Forest Restoration Act, Apache County developed the Apache Communities’ Wildfire Protection Plan, which includes the Eagar South Wildland Urban Interface. In March of 2004, the town of Eagar requested analysis of the area and that treatments begin as soon as possible. The request was made to provide protection from catastrophic fire for private property along the forest/town boundary and for the municipal watershed. Surface fuel loadings vary anywhere from 5 tons per acre to over 25 tons per acre in the ponderosa pine and pinon-juniper stands. Stand conditions in the ponderosa pine consist of interlocking crowns and ladder fuels, resulting in increased crown-fire potential. The pinon-juniper stands are relatively closed canopy overstories with a broken understory of brush and grass. Fire spreads through these stands under extreme conditions by torching and spotting. Reducing hazardous forest fuels on the analysis area will improve firefighting response capabilities and protect watersheds near the communities from adverse effects of large-scale wildfire.

The final environmental assessment for this project was issued in 2005. Actual on-the-ground work did not begin until November of 2007. The thinning treatments will be accomplished via issuance of three or four separate task orders. WB Contracting (Walker Brothers) is the harvesting contractor. To date they have cut 562 acres out of the 1095 included in the first task order. All is ponderosa pine, with sawlogs going to Eagar Wholesale Lumber (Terry Reidhead) and the chips going to Forest Energy (pellet mill).

Links

Main White Mountain Stewardship Project Case Study

	2	Land Ownership US Forest Service
	3	Location Apache County, Arizona
	4	Forest Type Ponderosa pine, Piñon - Juniper
	Context
	5	Is this project a part of a landscape plan? Yes
	6	In a Wildland Urban Interface (WUI)? Yes
	7	Acreage treated 3,560
	8	Type of contract Stewardship contract
	9	Funding source Multiple including timber, watershed, wildlife, hazardous fuels
	10	Collaborators and partners Forest Service, community-based groups (e.g. Natural Resources Working Group), state agencies (e.g. AZ Game & Fish), local governments, timber products industry, and conservation/environmental organizations
	11	Project start date 2007
	12	Project completion date
	Treatment Goals
	13	Restoration, watershed or habitat improvement
	14	Reduce fuel load
	15	Fire break
	16
	17
	Treatment Specifics
	18	Primary treatment objective Fire Hazard Reduction
	19	How does biomass removal fit with other objectives? Necessary
	20	Treatment description Thin & remove ponderosa pine <40% slopes, burn only on >40% slope.
	21	Description of contractors Future Forest, LLC, a local partnership of WB Contracting (loggers) and Forest Energy Corporation (stove pellet mfg)
	22	Travel distance for contractors 5-10 miles
	23	Type of equipment used
	24	Treatment of residual slash if any Lop/scatter, pile, burn.
	25	Treatment cost per acre $250-$750 est.
	26	Trucking costs
	Utilization
	27	Products from project timber, posts, poles, pallet, pellets, firewood, chips
	28	Price for products
	29	Date of Sale 2007
	30	Did biomass markets exist previous to project? No
	31	Type of utilization Clean chips to Forest Energy to manufacture pellets; tops and slash to Renegy to produce electricity and a small amount to Winners Circle Soil in Snowflake.
	32	How well did the woody biomass match the utilization options? Well
	33	Distance to utilization 5-50 miles
	Treatment guidelines, targets, limitations
	34	Diameter limit 9" dbh in MSO areas not in "full restoration" areas
	35	Basal area reduction Varies: Reduce to 30-50BA under "full restoration Rx". No less than 80BA in MSO areas
	36	Crown coverage
	37	Fuel loading
	38	Retention guidelines
	39	Treatment of snags and downed logs Snag retention: 180/100acres over 55% of the area
	40	Soil impacts No treat on highly erodable soils. Treatment impacts minor
	41	Other ecological impacts monitored
	Pre Treatment
	42	Fuel load Surface 5-25 tons; FRC Class 1 (23%); 2 (13%); 3 (64%)
	43	Stem density (stems/ac)
	44	Basal area (ft2/ac)
	45	Canopy closure (%)
	46	Height to live crown base
	47	Snags and downed woody material
	48	Size class distribution
	49	Tree species composition Ponderosa pine (35%) and piñon - juniper 45%; 20% of analysis area grassland
	50	Presence/absence of invasive species
	51	Soil and other ecological data Natural high rates of erosion in areas of the Datil formation
	Post Treatment
	52	Fuel load Varies: 3-6 tons/ac w/in 1/2 mi. of private land. 5-10 tons/ac elsewhere
	53	Stem density (stems/ac)
	54	Basal area (ft2/ac)
	55	Canopy closure (%)
	56	Height to live crown base
	57	Snags and downed woody material
	58	Size class distribution
	59	Tree species composition
	60	Presence/absence of invasive species
	61	Soil and other ecological data

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