The
Situation:
The majority of land in Gila County is public land and is managed
by the National Forest. A substantial portion of the public land
is covered by dense forest, woodland, and chaparral vegetation.
These lands are susceptible to the effects of native and non-native
invasive plants, insects and pathogens, drought, and density induced
competition and stress. Bark beetles have been the most active
stressor on large areas of conifer forests throughout the county.
The beetles have been active in all ponderosa forests and have
caused the death of many desirable mature pines over the past
several years. Another concern is the existence of non-native
invasive plants in proximity to these forests and their potential
to spread after a major disturbance event such as a wildland fire.
Dense forests and continuous
fuels provided by non-native plants have set the stage for potentially
catastrophic wildland fires.
The Forest Health program
is designed to mitigate the risk posed by these conditions through
non-formal outreach education.
Objectives:Provide
education so clientele gain a greater awareness and understanding
of forest health issues.
Assist communities through educational outreach to conduct vegetation
management (i.e. thinning, replacement, cultivation), in a way
that insures wildland fire risk reduction but also maintains a
healthy forest environment.
Please
contact us for more information about the Forest Health program
or if you have a specific question or comment related to forest
health in Gila County. You can also contact us to schedule a group
presentation.
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