Fire
America's forests are in a state of fire emergency, with nearly a quarter of the lower 48 states' forests at moderate to very high risk of severe wildfires.
The key to accomplishing forest management efficiently and effectively is collaboration. Federal and state agencies working together with their local communities and Tribes is the best way to create a fire-resilient landscape and healthy National Forests for future generations.
Collaboration efforts
The Tribal Forest Protection Act (TFPA) was initially authorized by Congress in 2004. The Act allows the San Carlos Apache Tribe to enter into agreements such as a TFPA-638 agreement, or the Good Neighbor Authority. These agreements may allow the Tribe to receive funding and promote a cohesive strategy in conjunction with the Wildfire Crisis Strategy across federal land jurisdictional and confront a variety of critical natural resource concerns that go beyond jurisdictional boundaries. In 2022-2023 the San Carlos Apache Tribe requested to utilize TFPA for such an agreement.
The designation of the San Carlos Apache Tribal Forest Protection as a National Priority Landscape currently encompasses 3 million acres across the Apache-Sitgreaves, Coronado, and Tonto National Forests and 1.8 million acres of the San Carlos Apache Reservation. The designation provides the ability to perform cross-boundary ecological restoration work and cooperative fuel management treatments across the entire landscape.
Statement of Mutual Benefits and Interests (excerpt)
"Restoring healthy forests and rangelands across the project area (i.e., the San Carlos Reservation, Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, Coronado National Forest, and the Tonto National Forest) will yield both ecological and community benefits. Healthy forests will improve climate resilience and reduce risk of catastrophic wildfire, safeguard water and air quality, protect fish and wildlife habitat, enhance biological diversity, sequester carbon, improve recreational opportunities, and generate good jobs and economic opportunities."
Treatments are supported by congressional funding to hire crews to implement the projects in the Coronado National Forest. In 2014, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership Initiative (Joint Chiefs') to support forest and grassland restoration projects across public and private land. The 2 Chiefs are the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Joint Chiefs' project proposals are developed at the local level through a collaborative process between NRCS, Forest Service, and partners. The CNF’s proposals were selected in 2020 and 2023 for Joint Chiefs’ project funding. The proposals involved projects in the Santa Catalina Ranger District, Catalina-Rincon Restoration and Fuels Mitigation project, and within the Sierra Vista Ranger District and the Douglas Ranger District, Fort Huachuca Sentinel Landscape - Phase Two project. Projects such as fuels treatments, invasive species removal, and aquatic habitat restoration for threatened and endangered species. With the congressional funding, the Coronado National Forest enlisted partners such as NGOs, Tribes, and local communities to help implement these treatments and projects in the Forest and increase fire resiliency on the landscape.
The Coronado National Forest has a strong relationship with the Department of Defense through the Fort Huachuca military base located in Sierra Vista, AZ. This base is one of the largest unmanned aerial vehicle training facilities in the world and supports operations for the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. However, urban sprawl and population growth led to competition for limited water resources, fragmentation of wildlife habitat, and risks of encroachment into the base’s airspace. These challenges led to the formation of the Fort Huachuca Sentinel Landscape in 2015. The landscape consists of 2.9 million acres of federal, state, and private land. Fort Huachuca Sentinel Landscape was designated for the purpose of collaborative, community-driven strategies to confront the challenges of water conservation, wildlife habitat restoration, and military mission protection. The Fort Huachuca Sentinel Landscape objectives align with the Wildfire Crisis Strategy and combine fuel treatments in the Coronado National Forest to create a more resilient landscape. Treatments are accomplished by Fort Huachuca Sentinel Landscape and the Forest Service performing collaborative efforts such as thinning, piling, and prescribed fires in the Coronado National Forest. The goal is to eventually create a fuel break over the Huachuca mountains to protect the military base and local communities in case of a catastrophic wildfire.
Fort Huachuca Sentinel Landscape Documentary-Trailer
Fort Huachuca Sentinel Landscape-Videos
External Website
Newsletters 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025
The Coronado National Forest has 3 priority firesheds designated under the Wildfire Crisis Strategy. The Regional Priority fireshed, “Huachuca City, AZ” is located within the Sierra Vista Ranger District. The additional two firesheds are “Agua Linda, AZ” fireshed, and “Continental, AZ” fireshed, and both are in the Nogales Ranger District. A fireshed designation helps the Forest Service demonstrate what areas are at the highest risk of exposure to wildfire. Fireshed exposure risk maps can show where the fires are likely to ignite, spread, and cause damage to structures and communities. Designating priority firesheds helps prioritize treatments to ensure the protection of communities and values at risk.