Forest Restoration Initiative Overview

Four Forest Restoration Initiative

Restoring our forests through collaborative landscape-scale initiatives.

4FRI Public Dashboard: Use an interactive online map to display activities since 2010 within the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) landscape—informed by the Forest Activity Tracking System (FACTS) database. Track acres in the following categories: prescribed and managed fire; commercial timber; non-commercial timber; and hazardous fuels. Select layers to identify roads, trails, and ownerships. Download a data set of 4FRI accomplishments.

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The Four Forest Restoration Initiaive (4FRI) is a landscape identified as having high wildfire risk by the Forest Service. Since 2010, 4FRI has been increasing its fuels and forest health treatments. Four national forests--the Kaibab, Coconino, Apache-Sitgreaves and Tonto--are engaged in 4FRI's collaborative initiative  to restore fire-adapted ecosystems in the Southwestern Region. Through collaboration with a diverse group of stakeholders, the four forests plan and carry out landscape-scale restoration of  ponderosa pine forests in Northern Arizona.

• Coconino National Forest wildfire webpage
• Tonto National Forest wildfire  webpage
• Kaibab National Forest  webpage
• Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests webpage

4FRI is included in the 10 initial landscapes announced April 2022 with an additional 11 landscapes announced January 2023. In Fiscal Year 2024, 4FRI completed 200,000 acres of the total 800,00 hazardous fuel acres treated across all 21 landscapes.

4FRI covers 2.4 million administrative acres across the four forests. Within the 4FRI footprint, close to 2 million acres have been analyzed through the National Environmental Policy Act. Two large 4FRI-specific NEPA analyses are complete. Planning documents include:

• 1st 4FRI EIS (signed 2015) --580,000 acres
• 4FRI Rim Country EIS (signed 2022) -- 1,240,000 million acre

Monthly Operation Reports: View restoration updates for 4FRI that highlight progress for mechanical thinning and prescribed fire activites across the entire 2.4 million acres of the initiative. Included within the report are the high-priority projects as defined in its 2021 4FRI Restoration Strategy.

Restoration Goals: Since 2010, 4FRI has implemented hazardous fuel reduction; improved forest health; diversified wildlife and plant species; and created and/or sustained ecosystems for the long term across four Arizona forests. 4FRI involves a suite of restoration efforts carried out by Forest Service personnel, partners, and industry.

Partners: The 4FRI Stakeholder Group, chartered in 2010, draws its membership from local, county, and state government, the private sector, forest-products industry, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and the public. It provides direction for project implementation and oversight of emerging issues.

Industry: Within Northern Arizona, 4FRI has enabled the Forest Service to provide a steady supply of timber to meet industry demand and maintain stability, supporting approximately 1,000 jobs in the region.

The Latest from 4FRI

• Going digital

  

  The Walker Hill Demonstration Project brushed paint aside for digital tree-marking methods to thin forest, improve timber production.

  Digital Tree-Marking

Wildfire Crisis Strategy 2024

Annual updates to Forest Service hazardous fueld treatement efforts are on the national Wildfire Crisis Strategy webpage, including the 2024 Confronting the Wildfire Crisis that identifies 4FRI as the largest contributor of forest restoration in Fiscal Year 2024.

• WCS Initial Landscape Investments

   

  The USDA Forest Service recognized the need to protect communities and values at risk. As a result, 10 Priority Landscapes were identified.

  Landscape Investments

• USDA Forest Service adds 11 Priority Landscapes

   

  In January 2023, the Chief of the Forest Service announced 11 additional WCS Landscapes in the western United States.

  Priority Landscapes