This field trip will delve into the critical issues of wildfire risk and invasive species management in the Sonoran Desert near Phoenix, AZ. We will hear from public, state, and private land managers who have been conducting wildfire operations, prescribed burns, thinning, and invasive plant removal to protect the Sonoran Desert. Field Trip Objectives: Who …
The Hermit’s Peak Calf Canyon Fire was a devastating event for New Mexico. Many communities were affected, and while this fire was unique, it will not be for long. Climate change and the effects of a century of fire exclusion mean that fires like this one are increasingly likely. We must understand what happened in …
We hosted a single day field trip that made four stops within the 2021 Telegraph Fire perimeter. The Telegraph Fire, human caused and still under investigation, started 1.5 miles southeast of Superior, Arizona on June 4, 2021 and burned 180,757 acres before being fully contained approximately one month later. The fire was primarily carried by …
by Rachel M. Gregg, EcoAdapt, and Laura A. Marshall, University of Arizona Increasingly common large and severe fires in the Southwest are now often followed by vegetation type conversions (VTC) where once-dominant vegetation fails to return to its pre-fire state. Case studies have documented abrupt transitions from forests to shrublands or from shrublands to grasslands. …
Read more “Southwest Vegetation Type Conversion: A workshop summary”
The Museum Fire began on July 21, 2019 in the Dry Lake Hills area just north of downtown Flagstaff. It burned 1,961 acres and cost an estimated $9 million to suppress. We hosted a field trip that involved the Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project (FWPP) that focused on post-fire flooding. Museum Fire Factsheet: Link for Museum …
We hosted a one day field trip to the 2017 Boundary Fire burned area. We made seven stops and discussed the effects of earlier fires such as the Pumpkin Fire (2002) and the Horseshoe-Hockdeffer Fire (1996) on reforestation. The topics discussed were natural reforestation, artificial reforestation, fire management in burned areas (a reburn), and assisted …
We hosted a two-day field trip to visit various locations within the perimeter of the 2011 Horseshoe 2 Fire (including Chiricahua National Monument and Coronado National Forest). Topics discussed include: wildlife impacts, rangeland impacts, watershed and hydrology effects, and historic fire regime and re-burn issues. Read the Horseshoe 2 Factsheet here. Click the StoryMap below …
The 57,000 acre Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is a unique landscape with uplands and water features, including a stretch of the Rio Grande River. It provides an important wintering ground for cranes and geese. Refuge staff depend upon and utilize various tools to manage the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge for the …
Read more “Bosque del Apache NWR-Fire and Wildlife Management”
Altar Valley Field Trip In November and December 2016, we co-hosted a conference in Tucson, Arizona with the Association for Fire Ecology (Beyond hazardous fuels: Managing fire for social, economic, and ecological benefits). During the conference, we arranged three separate field trips. The link below provides information from each stop on the Altar Valley Field …
We took a full day field trip to visit various fires managed through partnership between the San Carlos Apache (SCA) Tribe and the BIA San Carlos Agency. Over the last several years, they have built a mosaic of fire by allowing fire to retake its natural role across the Nantac Rim. Recent fires on the …
Read more “September 10, 2015: Fire Management on the San Carlos Apache Reservation”