forest restoration

New research suggests historic fires in the Southwest often grew to massive sizes, but were likely far less destructive than the megafires of today.

Crews are thinning large areas south of Snowbowl Road after Coconino County officials warned a fire on the San Francisco Peaks could lead to severe flooding through Flagstaff.

Officials with the Kaibab National Forest and Grand Canyon National Park say crews will begin several prescribed burns near the North Rim this week.

More than 200 volunteers helped plant pine seedlings in a fire scar east of the San Francisco Peaks. The area burned in the 2010 Schultz Fire, was replanted, and then burned again in the 2022 Pipeline and Tunnel fires.

A decades-long experiment on the Arizona Strip north of the Grand Canyon offers insights into the fate of old pines and oaks when fire is restored to a landscape.

Crews are thinning out overgrown brush and trees from a cinder field near Flagstaff where Apollo astronauts trained. The idea is to preserve the historic site and turn back the clock to the days of the space race.

The Coconino County Board of Supervisors heard plans Tuesday for forest restoration work west of the San Francisco Peaks to lessen the risk of catastrophic wildfires. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports.

Forest managers are researching fungi as a surprising new tool to aid restoration projects that ease the risk of wildfire.

Homes on the Navajo and Hopi Nations largely rely on firewood to keep warm in the winter. The Wood for Life program is stepping up to meet that need.

A yearlong effort to craft recommendations for federal fire policy comes to a close today. The new report, submitted to Congress, focuses on ways to step up so-called “beneficial fire” that is managed for ecological health. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke with one of the authors, Neil Chapman of the Flagstaff Fire Department.