The forests of the American southwest are in trouble. There are far too many trees in unhealthy states of condition. When coupled with prolonged drought, this can fuel catastrophic wildfires and biological infestations, destroying habitat and wreaking havoc on entire communities. As responsible members of our community, private landowners can make a difference by recognizing and responding to problems that may exist on their own property.

Techniques: Government agencies have been addressing the overgrowth of unhealthy western forests through prescribed burns, and selective thinning followed by burning of the slash. On the home front, removing the dead lower branches on pines eliminates attached kindling that acts as a stepladder for potential canopy fires. Rake and remove duff and litter, including broken branches and layers of pine needles. Thin out and remove trees from dense stands that lack understory vegetation or trees that show symptoms of pine bark beetle infestation. Remove trees that are within 25 to 30 feet of your home or those that make physical contact with man-made structures. Contact a certified arborist, your county agriculture extension agent, or Forest Service personnel for restoration recommendations concerning landscape health and safety.

Costs: The homeowner, at minimal expense, can safely undertake many of the minor restoration tasks, such as raking up duff and sawing off the lower dead branches of trees. Removing trees should be left to the professionals and costs can vary considerably, depending on the size and site of the targeted tree. A 30 foot tree, less than a foot in diameter could cost as little as $100.00 to be removed. Larger diameter trees, located near structures, may run upwards to two to three thousand dollars to be removed.

Benefits: Once your property has been thinned and cleaned up, your landscape has a greater chance of attracting wildlife due to an eventual increase in understory vegetation. Increased diversity within your landscape has profoundly beneficial effects on the psyche and increases the value of your property. You could also rest a little easier in the knowledge that you have done what you can to make your homestead a little safer from the scourge of wildfire. Some fringe benefits from thinning include the wood byproducts derived from the removed trees. These can be used for zigzag split rail fencing, mulch for landscaping, and of course, firewood.

Failing to Act: It’s dire consequences for those who fail to accept the responsibility of making their piece of the forest healthier and safer from the devastating effects of fire. And as drought conditions persist, pine bark beetle damage will increase and can occur within your own landscape. By thinning your own property and removing dead and diseased trees you can minimize this threat. Visualizing the forest as a collective entity may help those with aversions to cutting living trees. Or you can try visualizing your home surrounded by dead trees or aflame, while you stand helplessly witnessing with regrets of inaction.

Techniques: Choosing the most appropriate method for restoring a weed infested meadow or grassland depends on a few value judgments and an assessment of how much time, energy, and money you wish to commit to this process. Weed-mat or weed-barrier is permeable to water, yet precludes light, shutting down the food-making processes of targeted plants. This should be left on the affected area for a minimum of 90 days to ensure higher weed mortality. Manual removal is another method, but because of the time involved, is only recommended for areas less than a quarter to a half-acre in size. In addition the presence of soil moisture is almost mandatory for removing invasives with aggressive taproots like dalmatian toadflax and the knapweeds. Herbicides have been used for years, particularly for larger applications by farmers and by government agencies. There are organic based products available for individuals sensitive to this notion. Another option unexplored by The Arboretum’s staff is the grazing of goats and cattle. Follow-up to any applied removal method should include reintroduction of natives by either seeding or plugging with young plant starts.

The Arboretum at Flagstaff has successfully connected with over 1500 area students in grades 5 – 12 and with students from Northern Arizona University and Coconino Community College in place-based ecological programs. Students assisted Arboretum scientists in participatory action research, assessing vegetative cover and abundance of species in a grassland restoration experiment that addressed the question of “which restoration techniques are most effective in converting grassland dominated by non-native, smooth brome grass to a native plant community?” Forest restoration programs emphasize cooperative service learning activities, in which participants restore habitat and take away a sense of contributing to the solution of making our forests and bordering communities safer and healthier places to live. Educational outreach addressing the growing problem of invasive and noxious weeds is another area of ecological instruction made available by the Arboretum’s environmental educators. All of the described programs are tied to the Arizona Science Standards. Contact The Arboretum to see how you can get your students involved with the topical and rewarding experience of restoration education.

Copyright © 2007 The Arboretum at Flagstaff
Last modified: Monday May 12, 2008