Schultz Rehabilitation

The Forest Service is working on plans to rehabilitate the vegetation and trails on the Schultz burn.  At this time, many important aspects are at the stage of “Under Consideration” for either or both of two reasons: (1) Environmental analyses are incomplete; (2) Funds have not yet been acquired.  Please understand that every future action mentioned below remains in the preliminary state of “Under Consideration.”  For any of several good reasons, things may change, and the actual rehabilitation may be different from what is sketched below.    

Replanting and Regeneration

Here’s an outline of how the Schultz burn may be replanted and how regeneration may be fostered.  

Conifers       

     

In 2010, the Forest Service collected native seeds of ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, limber pine, and white fir.  By now, those seeds have germinated and have grown into tiny seedlings.  By 2012, at least some of the seedlings will be ready for transplanting onto selected large-scale areas in the Schultz burn.            

The Forest Service will commence planting on a large scale in March and April of 2012 and may plant annually for some years thereafter.  The long-term goal will be to plant on some 4,500 acres over a seven-year period.            

Volunteers can help immensely to turn these goals into reality.  

Aspen            

After the fire of June 2010 killed the above-ground portion of aspen stands, the roots produced a great crop of suckers.  This valiant attempt at regeneration was stifled when elk and deer browsed on the suckers, substantially eliminating the new growth above ground.            

The roots will try again this year, but 2011 is the last year that the roots will have the carbohydrate reserves needed for producing abundant suckers.            

To protect the 2011 crop of suckers from browsing by elk and deer, the Forest Service will cut down fire-killed aspen and also some fire-killed conifers that are adjacent to the former aspen stands.  Those cut boles will generate a jumbled tangle of tree trunks.  Why do this?  When frightened, elk and deer rely on running away from danger.  They will not enter a region where they cannot run.  So, constructing a tangle of tree trunks—called jackstrawing—will deter elk and deer from entering the former aspen stands.            

The Forest Service may propose to jackstraw on 350 acres early in 2011.  In subsequent years, jackstrawing may be extended to encompass 1000 acres of aspen stands.  

Trail Reconstruction and Maintenance            

The Forest Service may reconstruct approximately one mile of Little Elden Trail, a segment that was damaged during the Schultz fire.  In addition, the Forest Service may seek to repair or reconstruct drainage crossings on four trails: Little Bear, Deer Hill, Weatherford, and Little Elden.  

The photo shows success with mulch and grass seed on a gentle slope

FoNAF’s role            

Volunteers will be essential to replanting the burn in a timely fashion, and they can provide valuable assistance with the trail work.  The community has already shown an eagerness to help.  The overall effort will be most efficient if one nonprofit organization coordinates the volunteer effort and, simultaneously, accepts monetary donations (to be used for rehabilitation).  [As a federal agency, the Forest Service is prohibited from accepting monetary donations.]  The Forest Service has asked FoNAF to serve as coordinator of volunteer efforts and as recipient of donations.

If you would like to contribute to FoNAF's Schultz Fire rehabilitation project, click over to our Donations page and select the Rehabilitate the Schultz Burn project. You will have the option to contribute using a credit card with PayPal or with a check.

 Updates            

Right now, parts of the Schultz burn are still closed to the public.   Replanting by volunteers will commence in March and April of 2012.  We will update this website as soon as we know more.  If you are ever in doubt about the current situation, send us an email at inquiry@friendsofnazforests.org.   Or use the email address to request that you be put on a list for notification as planting dates are set.

Link to the website of the Coconino National Forest

To read the rehabilitation proposals issued by the Forest Service in early February of 2011, please go to www.fs.usda.gov/coconino/ . Then click on "Land & Resources Management" in the sidebar. Next, in the sub-menu that appears, click on "Projects" in the bulleted list. Finally, search under "Forest Projects" by hand for documents relevant to the Schultz burn.  Those documents typically begin with "Schultz Fire ...."  The document "Schultz Fire Reforestation and Site Preparation" appears under the sub-section heading "Analysis Completed."