Due to the combination of climate change and decades of fire suppression, high elevation forests in the Sky Island region of Arizona face increasing risk of catastrophic, stand-replacing fire. Efforts to reduce fuels aim to lower fire risk in order to bolster the resistance and resilience of these communities. However, the effectiveness of such efforts, particularly in light of ongoing drought and increasing temperatures, is often unclear. We performed an assessment of an initial phase of high-elevation fuels treatments (HEFT) conducted by the Fort Huachuca Environmental and Natural Resources Division and, based on this assessment, are developing a recommended plan for a second phase of HEFT.

To assess the outcomes of the phase I HEFT initiative, NAU researchers established 60-70 monitoring plots spanning each treatment area and corresponding matched control areas. Initial high elevation fuel treatments were conducted from 2015-2022.