Four Forest Restoration Initiative

Transcription

1 Four Forest Restoration Initiative OVERVIEW, STATUS AND WATERSHED CONSIDERATIONS F E B R U A R Y 3 RD, L C R WINTER WATERSHED C O N F E R E N C E S H A R O N M A S E K L O P E Z NAU

2 Departure from historical conditions - forest

3 Poor timber quality Extreme fire hazard Poor understory vegetation Reduced native plant diversity Impacts to wildlife

4 Overview of the 4FRI Departure from historical conditions - Fire Departure from historical conditions Larger, hotter, more destructive fires Inability to treat forests cost effectively and fast enough with business as usual approach Kaibab NF homepage 4FRI

5 OBJECTIVE To restore ecological resilience and function across 2.4 million acres of northern Arizona s ponderosa pine forest and to attract appropriately sized industry to the region.

6 Built on past collaborative efforts Natural Resources Working Group in the White Mountains Greater Flagstaff Forests Partnership Community Wildfire Protection Plans Western Mogollon Plateau Landscape Assessment (2004) White Mountains Landscape Assessment (2005) Statewide Strategy for Restoring Arizona s Forests (2007) Analysis of Small-Diameter Wood Supply in Northern Arizona (2008) Kaibab Forest Health Focus (2009)

7 CHALLENGES 1. Industry engagement 2. Planning at innovative scales 3. Successful collaborative planning w/current legal framework and within timelines 4. Monitoring and adaptive management 5. Funding

8 4FRI 2.4 million acres ponderosa pine Treat 50,000 acres per year over a 20- year span (1M ac.) Increase use of prescribed fire and managed natural fires Engage industry so the cost of restoration is covered by the value of the products removed Science-based and socially-acceptable agreements Largest CFLRP project in nation Close over 1,000 miles of roads Restore ephemeral channels Restore springs

9 US Forest Service Four Forests Tonto Kaibab Coconino Apache-Sitgreaves Leadership Forest Supervisors Core Team Seven dedicated staff Team Leader Team Leader Assistant Team Leader Wildlife Biologist Silviculturist Fire Ecologist NEPA Specialist GIS Specialist

10 STAKEHOLDERS Arizona Eastern Counties Association Arizona Elk Society Arizona State Forestry Division Coconino County Ecological Restoration Institute Greater Flagstaff Forest Partnership National Wild Turkey Federation Northern Arizona Logging Association Pioneer Association Southwest Sustainable Forests Partnership Arizona Forest Restoration Products Arizona Wildlife Federation Coconino Natural Resources Conservation District City of Flagstaff FFD Graham County Gila County Greenlee County The Natural Resources Working Group NAU Forest Ecosystem Restoration Analysis Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Arizona Game and Fish Department Center for Biological Diversity The Nature Conservancy Coconino Rural Environment Corps Forest Energy Corporation Grand Canyon Trust Mottek Consulting Navajo County Northern Arizona Wood Products Association U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Sierra Club

11 Six Collaborative Groups Steering Committee Economics and Utilization Fiscal Work Group Work Group Landscape Strategy W.G. Communications W. G. Science and Monitoring W. G.

12 FIRST ANALYSIS AREA ~998,000-Acre Analysis Area ~724,000 acres ponderosa pine Proposed Action August 2011 ~390,000 acres of mechanical thinning and burning ~595,000 acres of prescribed burning (205,000 acres of burn only) ~1,000 miles of road decommissioning ~80 springs restored ~40 miles of ephemeral channels restored ~80 miles of aspen fencing

13 SHELF STOCK Coconino National Forest Bobs Clark Jack Smith/Schultz Weatherford East Clear Creek Eastside Munds Park Railroad Upper Beaver Creek Elk Park WMSC & other active projects Kaibab National Forest City Dogtown McCracken KA and Pomeroy Community Tank Apache Sitgreaves Nat l Forest Rim Lakes Timber Mesa Tonto National Forest Myrtle Christopher/Hunter

14 First Analysis Area Timeline January 2011 February 2011 Jan-Mar 2011 August 2011 Sept January 2012 March 2012 Spring 2012 Fall 2012 Spring 2013 Proposed Action MOU signed Scoping Refined PA Bids received Monitoring Plan Contractor DEIS Final EIS Start

15 Reduced evapotranspiration Reduced snow sublimation Increased snowpack accumulation and retention Increased surface water yield Increased groundwater recharge

16 Hydrology 4 to 40 inches of precipitation annually in the Southwest 20 to 30 inches of precipitation in ponderosa pine (PIPO) winter precipitation 60% annual, but 80-95% of streamflow 4 to 17% of annual precipitation near Flagstaff is recharged, but only about 2% of precip. on Mogollon slopes leaves the region as springflow evapotranspiration (ET) is >90% of precip. (Colorado R. basin)

17 pretreatment treated post-wildfire Limited water yield Reduced groundwater recharge High density of trees and risk of catastrophic wildfire Present day flows Enhanced water yield Enhanced groundwater recharge Historical density of trees and reduced risk of catastrophic wildfire Improved spring snowmelt flows Irregular water yield Restricted groundwater recharge Increased flood potential Reduced water quality Increased sedimentation

18 Beaver Creek Experimental Watersheds Beaver Creek Castle Creek Sierra Ancha Whitespar strip cut patch cut clear cut shelterwood

19 Water Yield & Forest Cover PIPO suface water yield is ~0.25 acre-feet per year 20% reduction in water yield from 1913 to 1997 on the Santa Fe Municipal Watershed was attributed to increased density of PIPO and other trees. ET streamflow Little opportunity to reduce ET where precipitation is less than 18 inches per year (eg. in the pinyon-juniper woodlands and lower elevations) >30% decrease in basal area needed for response BCEW showed initial yield increases of percent when basal area of ponderosa pine forest was reduced by % Increases in water yield persist for 6 years on average in the absence of follow-up treatments. Water yield increases largely due to increased snowpack

20 The greatest accumulations of snow are in cleared strips and patches less than 1½ H wide (H = average height of adjacent trees)

21 Snow Water Equivalence in Lodge Pole Pine Clear Cut, Burned and Forest Clearcut Burned Forest Skidmore et al. 1994

22 Restoration Treatment Types WUI IT SI UEA PFA dpfa Wildland Urban Interface Intermediate Thinning thin to 70 to 90 sq. ft. basal area Stand Improvement Thinning Uneven Aged thin to 50 to 70 square feet of basal area Primary Fledgling Activity (Goshawk) Dispersal Primary Fledgling Activity Percent open: 10 to 25% - low intensity 25 to 40% - moderate-intensity 40 to 55% - high intensity 55 to 70% - wildland urban interface (WUI)

23 Anticipated Water Yields in the 4FRI 1 st analysis area 508,511 acres of ponderosa pine will be treated in 10 years, with 463,124 decreasing in basal area by 33% to 56%. Water yields are anticipated to increase 7 to 21% due to the 4FRI first analysis area treatments. Water yield will increase 8,700 to 26,500 acre-feet per year by the end of 10 years. Increased yield will be predominantly in the Verde Watershed. Additional gains in water yield, roughly equivalent to those in the 4FRI analysis area, will come from treatments in shelf stock. More precise estimates are pending.

24 Climate Change Arizona projections: Warmer Drier Shorter Winters Earlier Springs More extreme weather events Water yield gains from restoration may offset losses due to climate change

25 Water Balance Precipitation Precipitation quality Snow water equivalence Soil moisture Surface water discharge Water quality 4FRI Paired Watershed Study

26 Upper, Middle, and Lower Sycamore Control Watersheds

27 Restoration, Fire and Watersheds Rodeo-Chediski Extreme drought June 18 - July 7, ,614 acres 276,512 acres Ft. Apache Res. acres high severity Large blocks of high severity (60-80,000 acres) WUI largely unprotected 470 structures destroyed $10.4 million BAER on ASNF FAR BAER response slow/lacking Typical monsoon intensity Severe erosion, sedimentation, total organic carbon Continued treatment costs to downstream water users Wallow lack of winter precipitation high loading of fine grass fuels strong winds, extremely low fuel moisture, wind driven fire May 29 - July 8, ,900 acres 17% high severity Separate patches of high severity WUI treated 72 structures destroyed Rapid and extensive BAER treatments Gentle monsoon Minor erosion, low TOC

28 Wallow Fire Burn Severity soil burn severity: High - 17% Mod - 14% Low - 47% Unburned - 22%

29 Wallow Fire Basal area loss

30 Summary Landscape-scale forest restoration is progressing through a collaborative process with stakeholder involvement. Watershed health is likely to benefit from restoration activities. One key way that watersheds can be protected is by reducing wildfire hazard. Reducing risk of severe wildfire in large blocks of forest will help safeguard watersheds and water quality for downstream water users.

31 Questions?