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The national database of state and local wildfire hazard mitigation programs serves as a clearinghouse of information about nonfederal policies and programs that seek to reduce the risk of loss of life and property through the reduction of hazardous fuels on private lands. If you would like to submit a program to the national wildfire programs database, please complete the following form (MS Word). Return to your search results or Perform a new search Title: Coconino County, AZ -- Greater Parks Fuels Reduction Project Type: Homeowner assistance Fuelbreaks Education Designation of high risk areas Jurisdiction: Multi-level State: Arizona Program Description: Background Following some particularly intense fire seasons in the late 1990s, the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest analyzed lands within forest boundaries and ranked areas based on wildland fire risk. Many local communities, including Sherwood Forest Estates and Parks, were considered high-risk areas. Fuels Reduction Project Alliance The Greater Parks Fuels Reduction Project alliance was formed because of the understanding that both public and private lands need treatment in order to achieve the most effective wildland fire risk reduction for local communities. The multi-agency alliance includes the Kaibab National Forest, Arizona State Land Department, the University of Arizona Coconino County Cooperative Extension, the Coconino County Public Works and Emergency Services divisions, Northern Arizona University's Ecological Restoration Institute, the Arizona Department of Corrections, and the Parks-Bellemont and Sherwood Forest Estates volunteer fire departments. Complementing the project's work on private lands in Sherwood Forest Estates and Parks, the Kaibab National Forest has planned fuels management projects for the surrounding public land under its care. Homeowner Participation and Program Implementation Private property owners find out about the Greater Parks Fuels Reduction Project through community events, local mass mailings, media outlets and word of mouth. Many property owners sign up for the treatments after seeing the work done on other pieces of private property in their communities. Once a property owner indicates interest in the project, informational materials are sent and the property owner is offered the opportunity to visit a demonstration plot to get a feel for the kind of work done. The Arizona State Land Department then visits the property and marks trees that are recommended for removal. Landowners are included in this marking process to ensure no trees are removed that are highly valued by the owner. After the final tree removal prescription has been established, the landowner signs a release form approving the work and pays a small fee, typically $100 per acre or 25 percent of the implementation cost. (Per acre cost for this kind of treatment is estimated at $800 to $1,000). Through the Greater Parks Fuels Reduction Project, the bulk of treatment cost is funded through grant money the project has received. The individual landowner charge is meant to help defray some of the high cost of the work, encourage landowner responsibility for the work done, and provide matching funds for some of the grant money received.) The actual cutting work is done by the Winslow Prison fire crew under the supervision of the Arizona State Land Department. The crew, which is accompanied by Arizona Department of Corrections guards, is trained and experienced in fuels reduction work and wildland fire suppression. The slash produced from the thinning treatments can be left for landowners as firewood or fence poles, piled and burned on site, or hauled to a local cinder pit for later burning. Negotiations are also underway with various local organizations and businesses to find other options for removal of the slash. In some cases, it is hoped that these negotiations could aid in local economic development. Results Since implementation of the Greater Parks Fuels Reduction Project began in fall 2001, more than 100 acres of private property � many of them heavily forested 1-acre lots � have been thinned in Parks and Sherwood Forest Estates. This work has been funded through grants associated with the National Fire Plan. Many more private property owners have signed their lots up for the thinning treatments, and the project's partners have applied for additional grants to move into other local communities. Contact Information For more information contact, Art Matthias at 928-523-6613 or email [email protected] Images: 1.

Sponsored by the USDA Forest Service / Southern Research Station