Presenter: Joe Crouse, Ecological Restoration Institute
To address concerns regarding how to prioritize treatments across the forests, the Ecological Restoration Institute received funding from the USDA Forest Service to identify priority treatment areas across the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. In addition, Forest Service personnel stated a need to identify areas within the Wallow Fire perimeter that remain vulnerable to uncharacteristic wildfire. Existing Forest Service spatial data layers (Mid-scale vegetation diameter class, species and canopy cover) were used to identify restoration opportunity areas. Additional data layers (topography, land management designation, Wildland Urban Interface) were added to the analysis to identify priority restoration areas on the landscape. There are more than 133,000 acres within the Wallow fire perimeter that consist of priority restoration vegetation which experienced ≤50% basal area mortality and were thus deemed as continuing to be vulnerable to uncharacteristic wildfire. Less than half of this falls within the WUI boundary.
