Frequently Asked Questions
What is 4FRI?
Arizona forests are about to take the spotlight in the largest forest restoration effort of its kind. Some 2.4 million acres of the Kaibab, Coconino, Apache-Sitgreaves and Tonto national forests are being identified for a landscape scale assessment to improve forest health and sustainability.
What are the goals of 4FRI?
The goals of the 4FRI are to 1) accelerate large restoration efforts to support natural fire regimes, healthy diverse forests and rangelands, and abundant populations of native plans and animals; 2) facilitate community fire protection and preparedness; and 3) enhance local economies through the use of excess trees.
Why do we need a forest restoration initiative?
Recent wildfires, increasing in size and intensity never before witnessed, provide evidence of natural ecosystems in widespread decline. While fire has always helped shape the landscape, today's fires are not those of the past; they are often hotter, more destructive and more dangerous to fight. In part, the reason for the difference is that many of today's forests have unprecedented levels of flammable materials including dense thickets of small trees, underbrush, needles and leaves.
What is an example of ecosystem decline?
The 2002 Rodeo-Chedeski Fire in the White Mountains created a firestorm of devastation – 40 miles wide, nearly half-a-million acres burned, 426 homes and other structures lost – with a price tag of $153 million in suppression costs.
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