United States

Department of

Agriculture

Forest

Service

Coronado National Forest

Douglas Ranger District

1192 W. Saddleview Rd.

Douglas, Arizona 85607

Phone (520) 364-3468

FAX (520) 364-6667

Caring for the Land and Serving People Printed on Recycled Paper

File Code: 1950

Date: December 14, 2011

SCOPING NOTICE: CHIRICAHUA FIRESCAPE PROJECT

Dear Friends and Neighbors of the Coronado National Forest:

I am writing today to inform you about a fire management and fuel reduction project proposed

for implementation on the Douglas Ranger District and adjacent lands in Cochise County,

Arizona. The Forest Service, in collaboration with other Federal agencies, the State of Arizona,

and private landowners, has planned the Chiricahua FireScape Project (Project) to improve

fire management flexibility, efficiency, and consistency on approximately 500,000 acres of

grassland, woodland, and forest in southeastern Arizona.

The project area includes lands managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service

(Coronado National Forest); U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS-

Chiricahua National Monument and Fort Bowie National Historic Site); U.S. Department of the

Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM-Gila District/Safford Field Office); U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service (FWS-Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge); State of Arizona; and private

entities.

The goals of the Project are to create a healthier vegetative landscape that would better survive

wildland fire; enhance the protection of life, property, and natural resources from the potential

adverse effects of wildland fire; and encourage naturally occurring wildland fire to function as a

renewing process in the ecosystem.

The Forest Service is acting as the Federal lead agency in the National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA) review of the proposed action. The NPS, BLM, and FWS are Federal cooperating

agencies in the NEPA review, in accordance with regulations at 40 CFR 1501.6.

The attached Scoping Notice was prepared by the lead and cooperating agencies to provide the

public with a detailed description of the proposed action. Your comments on the scope of the

NEPA review of the proposal, including those related to potential environmental issues and

alternative means of accomplishing the project goals, are an important component of the

environmental review process. Information on how and when to comment is provided below.

Caring for the Land and Serving People Printed on Recycled Paper

PROJECT SUMMARY

The Coronado National Forest (Forest) is leading the Chiricahua FireScape Project to coordinate Forest

Service fire and fuels reduction activities with those of the National Park Service (NPS-Chiricahua

National Monument and Fort Bowie National Historic Site), Bureau of Land Management (BLM-Gila

District/Safford Field Office), Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge, State of Arizona, and private land

managers in the Chiricahua, Dos Cabezas, and Dragoon Mountains of Cochise County.

Tree rings record centuries of regular fire in our grasslands, woodlands, and forests until the late 1800s.

As we suppressed fires through much of the 20th century, fuels built up to unprecedented levels. Recent

decades have seen wildfires burning through those fuels in southeastern Arizona produce effects more

severe than was experienced historically. A 2010 analysis of fuels shows the potential remains for severe

wildfire effects across much of the planning area; these effects have the potential to become even more

severe under hotter, drier conditions.

The Chiricahua FireScape Project is intended to reduce the costs, damage, and threats to safety from

wildfires; sustain fire in fire-dependent ecosystems; maintain manageable fire behavior; and move

vegetation toward a more “fire-resilient” condition. An interdisciplinary team will conduct an

environmental effects analysis of alternative actions on ecological systems across jurisdictions. This

approach aims to increase fire management flexibility, efficiency, and consistency across approximately

500,000 acres of grasslands, woodlands, and forests. Proposed activities include prescribed fire, thinning,

mechanical treatments, fuelwood harvesting, and some use of herbicides. These treatments are not

uniformly applied across all ecological types but rather used singly or in combination as conditions

dictate.

The Chiricahua FireScape Project includes treatments within formally designated wilderness on BLM,

Forest, and NPS lands. Active fire management is needed to preserve wilderness values (as defined by the

Wilderness Act) that have been compromised by fire suppression. All treatments in all areas will be

subject to sideboards designed to protect sensitive species, cultural sites, habitats, and developments. The

Forest and BLM are soliciting your comments.

BACKGROUND

Geographic Location

The proposed project area comprises three

mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona:

the Chiricahua, Dos Cabezas, and Dragoon

Mountains (see Figure 1).

The Chiricahua Mountains rise from

grassland valley bottoms at elevations

ranging from 4000 to 5000 feet to an

elevation more than 9500 feet above mean

sea level. Within the range is the Chiricahua

Wilderness, which encompasses 87,700

acres of high country. Chiricahua National

Monument is located on the west side of the

range and is surrounded on three sides by

the Forest. Most of the 12,000-acre

Monument is also designated as Wilderness.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department

manages a small tract east of the Monument.

Private ranch lands sit at the base of the

range and connect with the Leslie Canyon

National Wildlife Refuge in the

southwestern corner of the project area.

Many of these ranches hold grazing permits

on Forest and State of Arizona lands. The

perimeter of the Chiricahua Mountains is

sparsely settled, and eastside communities

around Portal have the largest population

adjacent to public land.

The Dos Cabezas Mountains rise from 4000

feet elevation on the valley floor to 7500

feet and are contiguous with the Chiricahua

Mountains. The Apache Pass fault is the

formal boundary between the two ranges.

2

The BLM manages most of the Dos Cabezas

Mountains, including 11,700 acres of

designated Wilderness; private lands are

dispersed throughout the range. Fort Bowie

National Historic Site sits on 1000 acres that

straddle Apache Pass; it is surrounded by

BLM and Arizona State Trust lands.

Neighboring private lands comprise ranches

operated under BLM and State grazing

permits.

The Dragoon Mountains lie across the

Sulphur Springs Valley to the west of the

Chiricahua-Dos Cabezas complex. The

range spans elevations ranging from 4600

feet to 7519 feet on Mount Glenn. The

Forest manages most of the range (54,000

acres), which is surrounded by blocks of

private and State land. The communities of

Sunsites, Pearce, Dragoon, St. David, and

Tombstone lie just beyond the base of the

Dragoon Mountains.

Fire and fuel management activities are

proposed within congressionally designated

Wilderness on BLM, Forest Service, and

NPS lands. Active fire management is

needed in these areas to preserve the

“wilderness values” defined by the

Wilderness Act of 1964 (Public Law 88-

577). Past human activities, primarily fire

suppression, bear much of the responsibility

for the unhealthy vegetation and fuel

conditions currently found on these lands.

An ultimate goal of fire managers is to

manage natural ignitions in Wilderness (i.e.,

use naturally occurring wildland fire for

resource benefits) to maintain wilderness

values. Multiple treatments within

Wilderness in the project area are

anticipated to be needed before this tool can

be safely applied.

Existing Conditions

An array of vegetation types is present

across the various ownerships and

jurisdictions in the project area, depending

on elevation, topography, and geologic

influences. For the purpose of project

planning, these types have been designated

as different “ecological systems.” Twelve

distinct ecological systems are defined for

the project area. Table 1 lists the proposed

treatments in each system among the three

mountain ranges depicted in Figures 2a, 2b,

and 2c.

Fire has played an important ecological role

in the history of ecological systems in

southeastern Arizona. A regular interval of

naturally occurring fire restricts the growth

of shrubs in grasslands, thins woodlands and

forests of fire-intolerant trees, increases

stream flows, and renews wildlife habitat.

Historically, wildland fires in the woodlands

and forests of southeastern Arizona have

remained close to the ground surface,

burned at low to moderate intensity, and

maintained an open and grassy aspect.

Fire history data recorded in tree rings show

that since the beginning of the early 20th

century, the frequency of natural fire has

decreased dramatically. This decrease

corresponds to an increased demand for

wildland fire suppression to protect life and

property and has led to areas of dense,

overgrown vegetation that contributes to an

abundance of fuel. Current conditions fuel

wildland fires that eliminate desired

ecosystem components, intensify the spread

of unwanted non-native species, and result

in dramatically different effects on

watersheds than what would have occurred

with the occurrence of natural fire. The

3

Figure 1. Chiricahua FireScape Project Location and Boundaries

4

Table 1. Chiricahua FireScape Project: proposed vegetation treatment methods by ecological system.

ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM

ESTIMATED

TOTAL FIRESCAPE

ACRES

PRIMARY TREATMENTS

1

SUPPLEMENTAL TREATMENTS

1

ESTIMATED TREATMENT ACRES BY JURISDICTION (WILDERNESS ACRES)

Bureau of Land

Management

Forest Service

Fish and Wildlife Service

National Park

Service

Arizona Game and Fish Dept.

Arizona State Lands Dept.

Private

Intermountain Basins Aspen-Mixed Conifer Forest and Woodland

1755 Prescribed Fire (Rx)

Thin 1755

(1750)

Southern Rocky Mountain Dry-Mesic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest and Woodland

5336 Rx, Thinning

(Thin)

Mech, Fuelwood, Herbicide

(Herb)

5336

(3413)

Madrean Upper Montane Conifer-Oak Forest and Woodland

14814 Rx, Thin, Mech,

Fuelwood, Herb

14814

(12183)

Madrean Lower Montane Pine-Oak Forest and Woodland

58962 Rx, Thin Mech,

Fuelwood, Herb

53882

(27409)

4429 (3872)

297 354

Madrean Pinyon-Juniper-Oak Woodland

217166 Rx, Thin,

Mechanical (Mech)

Fuelwood, Herb

25197 (7205)

171744 (32264)

232 5607

(4173) 157 1827 12402

Rocky Mountain Montane Riparian 1797 Rx, Thin

Fuelwood, Herb

86

(48)

1207 (181)

268

(116) 236

5

Table 1. Chiricahua FireScape Project: proposed vegetation treatment methods by ecological system.

ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM

ESTIMATED

TOTAL FIRESCAPE

ACRES

PRIMARY TREATMENTS

1

SUPPLEMENTAL TREATMENTS

1

ESTIMATED TREATMENT ACRES BY JURISDICTION (WILDERNESS ACRES)

Bureau of Land

Management

Forest Service

Fish and Wildlife Service

National Park

Service

Arizona Game and Fish Dept.

Arizona State Lands Dept.

Private

Madrean Oak/Conifer/ Manzanita on Rocks

28526 Rx, Thin Mech,

Fuelwood, Herb

2160

(1751)

23761 (7859)

2385

(2311) 220

Madrean Pinyon-Mountain Mahogany on Limestone

42254 Rx, Thin,

Mech, Fuelwood,

Herb

5224

(1) 28971 1731 270 79 1749 4230

North American Warm Desert Riparian System

658 Rx, Thin, Mech,

Fuelwood, Herb

16 39 54 35 514

Apacherian-Chihuahuan Upland Scrub

70773 Rx, Mech Thin,

Fuelwood, Herb

15004

(2709)

22502 (1755)

339 267

(140) 10871 21790

Apacherian-Chihuahuan Semi-Desert Grassland and Steppe

43804 Rx Thin, Mech, Fuelwood,

Herb 1225

12021 (432)

23 (22) 6605 23930

Chihuahuan Creosotebush Desert Scrub

12715 Rx, Thin,

Mech, Herb 674 760 403 7584 3294

1 Rx = prescribed fire (1,000 to 30,000 acres per project).

Thin = manual or chainsaw thinning (up to 500 acres per project). May be followed by lop and scatter, chipping, and pile burning.

Mech = mechanical treatments, including mastication (up to 2,500 acres per project) and grubbing (up to 1,000 acres per project).

Herb = stump treatments or spray herbicides (up to 1,000 acres per project).

Fuelwood = fuelwood harvesting (across treated areas and stand-alone sales [up to 300 acres per project].

6

Figure 2a. Chiricahua FireScape Project: Ecological systems in the Chiricahua

Mountains of southeastern Arizona.

7

Figure 2b. Chiricahua FireScape Project: Ecological systems in the Dragoon

Mountains of southeastern Arizona

8

Figure 2c. Chiricahua FireScape Project: Ecological systems in the Dos Cabezas Mountains of

southeastern Arizona.

9

28,000-acre Rattlesnake Fire that occurred

in the Chiricahua Mountains in 1994

illustrated the severe effects possible under

such conditions.

Based on the results of modeling using

FlamMap, current fuel loadings across the

project area are predicted to support severe

effects, should a wildland fire occur. The

model was run by the agency partners over a

regional fuels map developed by the

planning team. Model parameters were input

for an elevation of 4500 feet, which was

extrapolated to elevations above and below

this level by FlamMap.

Flame length is a good indicator of fire

behavior and effects on the landscape. The

red areas on Figure 3 depict locations where

wildland fire in the project area, under the

specified conditions, is predicted to spot,

cause crown fires, and be very difficult to

control. This sample model run is based on

90th

percentile weather and fuel conditions

for southeastern Arizona. Using 97th

percentile conditions observed during the

large wildland fires of the past decades

would turn additional areas on the map red,

indicating flame lengths greater than 11 feet.

WHY IS THIS PROJECT NEEDED?

The need for this collaborative, cross-

jurisdiction project derives from the various

agencies’ respective missions to care for the

land in accordance with direction and

guidance in national, regional, and local fire

planning documents. Fire management

policy is complex, dynamic, and involves

many layers of direction. Among the

documents that have guided the

development of the Chiricahua FireScape

Project are the following:

National Fire Plan of 2000;

Guidance for Implementation of Federal Wildland Fire Management

Policy (February 13, 2009);

A Collaborative Approach for Reducing Wildland Fire Risks to

Communities and the Environment:

10-Year Comprehensive Strategy

Implementation Plan (2001);

Coronado National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest

Plan,1986, as amended);

Coronado National Forest Fire Management Plan (2009);

Chiricahua National Monument Fire Management Plan (2005);

Fort Bowie National Historic Site Fire Management Plan (2005);

Fire Management Plan: San Bernardino and Leslie Canyon

National Wildlife Refuges (2005);

Bureau of Land Management Arizona Statewide Land Use Plan

Amendment for Fire, Fuels and Air

Quality Management (2004); and

Bureau of Land Management, Dos Cabezas Mountains Wilderness

Management Plan, Environmental

Assessment, and Decision Record

(June 1995).

Collectively, these documents prescribe

necessary changes in the landscape to foster

the desired future conditions of an

ecosystem in which the natural fire cycle

prevails.

Planning and implementation of pro-active

fuel treatments toward the desired

conditions of moderate fire behavior and

restored ecological health is complicated by

weather conditions, coordination of fire and

vegetation management between multiple

10

Figure 3. Chiricahua Firescape Project: Predicted flame lengths assuming existing

vegetation and fuel conditions in three mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona.

11

landowners, and the availability of funding.

Thus, the primary purpose of this project is

to integrate the fire and fuel management

activities across 500,000 acres of Federal,

State, and private lands to achieve the

following objectives:

reduce the costs, resource damage, and threats to public and firefighter

safety from future wildland fires;

restore and sustain ecological processes in fire-dependent

ecosystems;

create and maintain fuel conditions that produce manageable fire

behavior and intensity; and

alter existing vegetation and fuel conditions, as feasible, to approach

those reflective of the historic range,

both in the broader landscape and

within individual ecological systems.

PROPOSED ACTIVITIES

The Chiricahua FireScape Project comprises

a variety of fire and non-fire treatments that

can be prioritized and scheduled by each

agency’s fire and natural resources

managers as conditions warrant. Each

ecological system (Table 1) is proposed to

be managed as conditions, funding, and

resources allow. Implementation would

adhere to stringent measures, referred to as

design features, which have been designed

to balance protection of resources

achievement of programmatic goals.

Table 1 displays proposed treatments in 12

ecological systems over the three mountain

ranges in the project area. Each proposed

activity is defined by a prescription–a plan

that describes what and how much

vegetation should be manipulated; and a

cost-efficient treatment –a method to

achieve that prescription. In addition, each

treatment will follow a silvicultural

prescription –a set of instructions for

proposed activities that would result in

desired vegetation structure and

composition; this is especially important for

non-fire treatments.

The treatment options listed in Table 1 may or may not be uniformly applied across those systems. For all fire-adapted systems, the goal of the project partners will be to allow fire to maintain these systems. As Figure 3 shows, much of the project landscape currently has the potential to burn and cause severe effects. In these areas, it may take multiple treatments to reduce flame lengths and move ecosystems toward desired conditions.

An example of a multiple-entry treatment

approach is that proposed for Rustler Park, a

popular area in the Chiricahua Mountains

managed by the Douglas Ranger District. A

recent analysis outlined a path to reducing

flame lengths in the mixed conifer forest to

less than four feet under 90th

percentile (hot,

dry) conditions. For these dense, closed

canopy stands, four steps were identified as

being necessary:

Hand thin trees less than 12 inches in diameter at breast height (dbh);

Pile and burn slash;

Pile and burn 90% of dead and down fuels; and

Maintain conditions using prescribed fire.

These steps would be executed at different

scales (thinning and pile burning at small

scale, prescribed fire at a larger scale) over a

period of several years.

This proposal to broaden the scale of fire

management activities in the Chiricahua,

Dragoon, and Dos Cabezas Mountains

brings with it the responsibility to address

multi-faceted concerns. The Project is being

designed to apply best management

practices that will ensure protection of

sensitive natural and cultural resources and

12

neighboring developments. Agency

managers will continue to collaborate and

consult with communities, recreational

users, permittees, researchers, and other

parties who are stakeholders within the

project area. This may include negotiating

for flexibility in time and space to allow

land managers to creatively take advantage

of treatment opportunities, such as capturing

a temporary funding opportunity, using a

recent burn as a buffer, treating a

temporarily vacant grazing allotment, or

responding to a community request. In

return, land managers would establish in

advance the ground rules to protect values at

risk, and protocols and schedules for

monitoring treatments.

With specific Project tools at their disposal,

the project partners estimate annual

accomplishments will include the

application of prescribed fire on 6000 to

40,000 acres; mechanical treatment of 1000

to 3000 acres; and thinning of 200 to 500

acres. Over time, multiple entries in various

systems are likely to be needed to ensure

that treatment prescriptions are met.

Fire Treatments

The following vegetation treatment and

removal methods are proposed to be

individually or collectively applied to

achieve the wide range of goals specified in

agency management plans. Treatments are

designed to reduce surface fuels, ladder

fuels, and/or the density of trees and shrubs.

Weather, limited operating periods, and

available funding will dictate the amount

and type of treatment that might be applied

in any given year.

Prescribed Fire Any fire intentionally ignited by land

managers in accordance with a regulatory-

agency approved, site-specific “Burn Plan”

and justified as necessary for the reasons

below is considered to be a prescribed fire.

The use of prescribed fire is justified to

Reduce abnormally high fuel loads to begin to allow for a return to historic fire

patterns and frequencies;

Release nitrogen and other nutrients into the soil to support new plant growth;

Encourage germination of various plant species. Many native plant and forest

communities have adapted to fire for

their germination and growth. Some

species require seed contact with soil

that is exposed by fire to naturally

regenerate;

Thin overcrowded forests. Thinned forests recover faster and are more

resistant to insect and disease attacks.

Currently, many of the mature forests in

the project area are overcrowded,

resulting in a lack of vigor and health;

and/or

Create vegetation diversity needed by wildlife. Wildlife, such as deer, benefit

from new growth as plants produce more

palatable browse/forage when re-

sprouting after a fire.

Prescribed fires are typically ignited by

hand, mechanical or aerial firing methods

and burn at low to moderate intensity over a

predefined geographic area. Burn plans

include, but are not limited to, a risk

assessment that identifies hazards and

13

potential mitigating actions to protect life,

property, and resources.

Pile burning is a prescribed fire used to

dispose of vegetation remaining after

thinning and mechanical treatment. Pile

burning is guided by burn plans that dictate

burning parameters when conditions are

favorable and the risk of fire spread is low.

Trees, shrubs, pruned limbs, and dead and

down woody material (generally larger than

1 inch in diameter) are gathered and piled by

hand. Piles may range from about five feet

in diameter and four feet high to

approximately 15 feet in diameter and eight

feet high. They are carefully located to

minimize scorch to the canopies and trunks

of trees.

Fire control lines confine prescribed fire

operations within control perimeters (see

Thinning below. Wherever feasible, control

lines comprise natural features/barriers,

including roads and trails. In some cases,

however, construction of fire control lines

may require cutting and clearing of

vegetation.

Non-Fire Treatments

Thinning

This treatment is accomplished using hand

tools, chainsaws, or specialized mechanical

equipment and creates a prescribed spacing

among trees and shrubs. It is justified when

it is needed to

Serve as a fire surrogate to directly restore desired, healthier vegetative

structure;

Minimize the potential for unwanted wildland fires by reducing surface

and ladder fuels and decreasing

contiguous, abnormally heavy fuel

loads; and/or

Pre-treat areas to reduce fuels in a way that enables the subsequent safe

and effective application of

prescribed fire.

Trees and shrubs would be selected for

thinning based upon treatment objectives,

tree-hazard ratings, snag recruitment, health

and vigor, species, size, and age, in

descending order of importance. The

desired future condition for the ecological

type determines species, size class, spacing,

and residual stocking targets of thinning

projects. Selective thinning favors retention

of larger and older trees in uneven-aged

stands and retention of the more fire-

resistant species and sizes, while at the same

time maintaining species diversity.

Reduction of ladder fuels is generally an

important treatment objective. Within zero

to 300 feet from existing structures,

vegetation treatments may be more intense

than in areas further away.

Construction of fire control lines may

require the removal of herbaceous

14

vegetation, pruning, and/or cutting breaks in

the fuel by hand and clearing all vegetation

down to mineral soil. After fires are

completed, rehabilitation may involve

returning soil and woody material to the

control lines, hand-constructing water

diversion channels.

In addition to rehabilitating a fire control

line, other post-thinning activities may

include

removal of woody debris by hand or machine to an off-site location for other

uses or burning.

chipping of woody debris. The use of chipping is limited by the slope of the

area. Chipped material may be

dispersed over the treatment area and/or

transported offsite for other uses.

lopping and scattering, which disperses woody material on the ground to

decrease fire intensity. Previously felled

trees and shrubs are limbed, lopped, and

bucked using chainsaws so that the

resulting slash material lies closer to the

ground surface (as opposed to creating

burn piles). The slash material is then

spread, more or less evenly, over the

ground.

pruning, which may be applied along major system road corridors, within

fuelbreaks, or in conjunction with fire

control lines to remove ladder fuels and

facilitate prescribed burning. Using hand

tools and chainsaws, tree branches are

pruned as close to the bole as possible

without damaging it. Trees are generally

pruned no higher than 10 feet above

ground level or one-third of the tree

height, whichever is less.

Mechanical Methods

Mechanical treatments use machinery to

reduce woody biomass across a larger area

than is typically treated by thinning. The use

of machinery is justified when it is

necessary to:

Address broad-scale invasion (generally into grasslands) of woody

species that are difficult to control

with fire or herbicides (for example,

mesquite and juniper);

Manage overabundant species that may germinate with fire and increase

without frequent fire (for example,

manzanita); and/or

Treat wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas in some vegetation

types.

Mastication can be used to eliminate shrubs

and small trees for ecological or fuel

reduction purposes. Generally, a tracked or

rubber-tired machine chops, shreds, and/or

grinds small trees, limbs, shrubs, and dead

woody debris into chips to be left on site.

Mastication is feasible where slope angles

are 40% or less. Mastication moderates fire

behavior by reducing fuel-bed depths to

generally less than six inches. Removal of

target species encourages the growth of

desired plants.

Grubbing uses heavy equipment to fell

and/or uproot trees that are encroaching on

grassland. It may be followed by pile

burning, salvage, or fuelwood harvesting.

15

Grubbing is no longer common on Federal

lands because of the potential for adverse

effects on areas that have archaeological

significance.

Application of Herbicides

Application of herbicides following thinning

and/or mechanical treatments is justified to

Reduce re-sprouting of trees and shrubs to prevent re-growth; and/or

Address broad-scale invasion (generally into grasslands) of woody

species that are difficult to control

with fire or mechanical means.

Ground-based treatments use manual

applicators or vehicles with spray booms.

Strict buffer and grazing rest requirements

would apply to broad-scale treatments.

Herbicide applications would be scheduled

and designed to minimize potential impacts

on non-target plants and animals, while

remaining consistent with the objectives of

the vegetation treatment program. Rates of

herbicide application would depend on the

target species, presence and condition of non-

target vegetation, soil type, depth to the water

table, presence of other water sources, and

the label requirements.

Fuelwood Harvest

Where terrain and access allow, certain tree

species may be made available to the public

for removal and use as firewood in order to

Reduce fuels at little cost to land managers while benefitting end

users; and/or

Displace the harvest of other trees for firewood or raw materials in

order to achieve a carbon-cycle

benefit.

Salvage of wood is governed by guidelines

that protect surrounding resources and

requires permits from the land management

agency that manages the harvest, including

cutting.

Amendment of the Forest Plan

To accomplish the proposed action, the

Forest Plan must be amended to establish

less restrictive Visual Quality Objectives

(VQO) in the project area. Thus, the NEPA

analysis would also evaluate the effects of

amending the Forest Plan to change current

visual quality standards and guidelines for

the project area.

Project Design Features

Implementation of the Chiricahua FireScape

Project will adhere to stringent design

features that were developed to protect the

inherent values and characteristics of native

wildlife, plants, fish, and their habitats, and

the soils, scenery, air quality, and historic

and archaeological sites in each ecological

system. As activities are proposed, fire and

fuels managers will review treatment

parameters to ensure that they are within the

scope of the proposed action evaluated in

this NEPA review and that they are

consistent with the design features that

bound them. Such prescreening will help to

assess whether the effects of treatments fall

within acceptable boundaries.

Projects in the area will share many design

features. Many of these will apply regardless

of the presence of sensitive resources. In

some cases, the need to protect life and

property will override design features.

General design features and the resources

they will protect are as follows:

To ensure safe fire operations: A

prescribed “burn plan” will be developed

and approved prior to initiating any burning

operation, including burning of piles. A burn

plan will include, but is not limited to, unit

description, specific prescribed burn

16

objectives, public notification procedures,

coordination with other regulatory agencies

(such as air quality regulators), hazard

analysis, contingency plan, firing

procedures, risk assessment, mitigation

measures, estimated fire behavior,

acceptable weather variables, and prescribed

burn organization.

To maintain air quality: Fire managers

will cooperate with other Federal, State, and

local regulatory agencies to protect air

quality as required by the Clean Air Act and

State and local regulations.

To minimize impacts of operations on the

landscape: Off-road vehicle activity during

fire activities in the Chiricahua, Dragoon,

and Dos Cabezas mountains will be

minimized. The creation of new access

routes as needed for suppression activities

will be limited and will avoid in designated

Wilderness. These will be located only

where other alternatives are not available.

Areas of significant human activity during

fire suppression operations, such as fire

crew camps, landing strips, and equipment

staging areas, will not be located on or next

to sensitive resources or habitat of sensitive

species.

To prevent erosion, protect soils, and

maintain water quality: Fire control lines

on steep hillsides will be constructed in

accordance with erosion prevention

standards. Intense fire on sensitive soils,

which may promote water repellency,

nutrient leaching, and erosion, will be

avoided. Burned areas will be rested from

grazing for specified periods afterward.

Riparian areas will be protected to prevent

or minimize impacts to watersheds and the

riparian habitat and species that occur there.

Fire management treatments within or

adjacent to riparian and aquatic habitats will

be designed to provide long-term benefits to

aquatic and riparian resources by reducing

threats associated with dewatering and

surface disturbance, and/or by improving the

condition of the watershed and enhancing

watershed function.

To protect wildlife, fish, plants and their

habitats: Specific protection measures will

be implemented to protect and conserve

wildlife, fish, plants, and their habitat. In

addition, specific design features will protect

the following special-status species: jaguar,

lesser long-nosed bat, peregrine falcon,

Mexican spotted owl, northern (Apache)

goshawk, yellow-billed cuckoo, Chiricahua

leopard frog, Yaqui chub, and Huachuca

water umbel.

To protect recreation uses and facilities:

Project activities will be performed during

low use periods. Slash and debris will be

removed, impacted sites will be

rehabilitated, and informational signs will be

posted to advise users of potential conflicts.

To protect scenic quality: Proposed

treatments will be designed to blend with the

natural environment as much as is practical.

Specific instructions on techniques to reduce

visual impacts will be implemented.

To protect cultural and historic sites and

resources: All historic and cultural sites will

be surveyed, protected, and/or avoided.

YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT

As the first step in the NEPA review

process, the Coronado National Forest and

its cooperating agencies are offering the

public an opportunity to provide comments

on the nature of the proposed project and the

scope of this environmental review. If you

have comments, questions, or concerns, we

would like to hear from you1. Written,

1 Comments and personal information, such as

names and addresses, become part of the

administrative record of this NEPA review. They may

be made available to a third-party upon request

17

facsimile (fax), hand-delivered, oral, and

electronic comments about the proposed

project will be accepted. In order for us to

complete our analysis in a timely manner,

please try to submit your comments by

January 31, 2011.

Electronic (e-mail) comments should be

submitted comments-southwestern-

coronado@fs.fed.us in any of the following

ways: text of e-mail, Word (.doc)

attachment, or rich-text format (rtf), with

“Chiricahua FireScape Project” in the

“Subject” line. Also, you must include your

name and address within an email message

in order to be eligible to appeal a future

decision.

You may submit written comments by U.S.

mail to:

William A. Edwards, District Ranger

Coronado National Forest

Douglas Ranger District

1192 West Saddleview Road

Douglas, AZ 85607

You can also fax comments to Mr. Edwards’

attention at (520) 364-6667. Please include

your full name and address and project title

(Chiricahua FireScape Project) with your

comments.

Oral comments may be submitted and

additional information about the project

obtained by calling Mr. Edwards at (520)

364-3468 during regular business hours,

which are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.

under the authority of the Freedom of Information

Act (FOIA). Personally identifying information is

protected by the Privacy Act. If you do not wish for

your personal information to be released under the

FOIA, you may choose not to include it with your

comments. Or, you may request an exemption from

FOIA with your comment submittal. Should you

choose the latter, you will be informed by the Forest

Service as to whether or not your request qualifies

for an exemption. If it does not, you would be

afforded the opportunity to resubmit your comments

without personal information or to withhold them.

to 4:30 p.m., excluding Federal holidays.

You may also schedule a personal visit to

the address above using the same telephone

number.

The Coronado National Forest will share

submitted public comments with the other

cooperating agencies. The BLM will issue a

separate decision based on the analysis of

impacts and benefits to BLM-managed

public lands within the planning area.

Questions about the Forest Service NEPA

process may be directed to Andrea

Campbell, Forest NEPA Coordinator, at the

above address, or by telephone at (520) 388-

8352.

CHIRICAHUA FIRESCAPE PROJECT COOPERATING AGENCIES:

William A. Edwards

Douglas District Ranger

Coronado National Forest

Scott C. Cooke

Field Manager, Safford Field Office

U.S. Bureau of Land Management

Bill Radke

Refuge Manager, Leslie Canyon NWR

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Brad Traver

Superintendent, Chiricahua NM

National Park Service

John Windes

Habitat Program Manager

Arizona Game and Fish Dept

mailto:comments-southwestern-coronado@fs.fed.usmailto:comments-southwestern-coronado@fs.fed.us