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-
[email protected] 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
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