Forest Initiative Gains Widespread Support

By Tammy Gray-Searles
   A forest initiative that would allow extensive thinning and rehabilitation of four Arizona forests is making progress, thanks to a unique group comprised of government, private and environmental interest groups.
   “This is a historic and unprecedented opportunity to promote landscape-scale thinning,” remarked Navajo County Government Relations Administrator Rod Ross. “I think this may be the first time that you have government, industry, local and environmental groups all coming together and endorsing an approach for forest thinning.”
   According to Ross, the initiative, dubbed the “Four Forest Initiative,” would encompass the Kaibab, Coconino and Apache-Sitgreaves national forests. The thinning and restoration work would take place across large portions of the forests, rather than in small patches as it currently does. If successful, the initiative could also pave the way for industry in Northeastern Arizona, such as a proposed oriented strand board (OSB) manufacturing plant in Winslow.
   An OSB plant would use material gathered from thinning the forests to produce wood products. Thinning of the forests would promote forest health by reducing invasive plant species, creating appropriate space for healthy trees to grow, reducing pests and plant diseases, as well as reducing the amount of fuel available for wildfires.
   According to Ross, the 2002 Rodeo-Chedeski fire, which burned almost half a million acres, has played an important role in bringing groups together to work on the initiative that were previously on opposite sides of the fence.
   “The relation is that the Rodeo-Chedeski fire was a landscape-style fire that consumed nearly 500,000 acres, and that’s the kind of fire we’re trying to prevent by conducting landscape-style thinning,” Ross noted. “It provided the stakeholders with the impetus to find an agreement on how to treat forests.”
   Ross noted that some of the environmental interest groups involved in the project include the Grand Canyon Trust and the Center for Biological Diversity. Northern Arizona University is also involved in the effort, as well as the Forest Service and other government agencies and entities.
   He explained that Navajo County is anxious to see the initiative move forward not only for the safety and health of its citizens, but also to prevent future devastating and costly fires, and to potentially attract industries such as an OSB plant that would contribute to the economy and create jobs.
   “We want to see this move forward as quickly as possible so we can begin to protect our forests,” Ross remarked.
   Essentially, the initiative is seeking changes in existing federal policy regarding forest thinning.
   “Under the current policy it’s very difficult and nearly impossible to do thinning on a large scale,” he noted. “We’re talking about doing 35,000 to 40,000 acres per year. That may require legislation in Congress, as well as appropriations and internal Forest Service changes.”