Forest Service hosts Algerian delegation for watershed restoration tour

In a milestone moment for its newest international collaboration, the International Programs Office of the Forest Service recently hosted representatives from the Algerian Direction Générale des Forêts, in a watershed restoration tour across the Southwestern United States.

With a delegation that included officials from Algeria’s Department of Fauna and Flora, as well as visiting staff members from the Sétif and Tlemcen Forests, the tour offered an opportunity to see firsthand how the Forest Service has been working with our partners.  An immersive experience that showcased both the management and restoration of watersheds and forests across Arizona, Nevada and California, the 10-day tour was the first of what will hopefully be many cooperative engagements with officials from Algeria.  And it set the stage for a three-year collaboration that is funded by the US Department of State, in close collaboration with the US Embassy in Algiers.

This new, three-year collaboration focuses on watershed management and restoration in Algeria.  With Algeria and parts of the United States facing similar climate challenges, namely Mediterranean and arid conditions exacerbated by climate change, this exchange of knowledge has never been more critical.

The tour began in Arizona’s Tonto National Forest, where the group visited Bartlett Dam, under the guidance of the Salt River Project.  This presentation on sediment mitigation strategies introduced the Algerian team to advanced, American watershed management techniques.  Next on the tour, the delegation explored areas that were affected by the 2023 Wildcat Wildfire, where they were able to witness the post-fire recovery efforts of the Forest Service’s Burned Area Emergency Response team.  The integration of science-based assessments and recovery strategies provided valuable insights that will inform Algeria’s approach to managing similar post-fire landscapes.

On their second day on the Tonto, the group trekked north to the Payson Ranger District, to visit a restoration test site and a mastication area in the Dude Fire Restoration Project.  This landscape-scale restoration project is located within the Four Forest Restoration Initiative footprint.  

At the test site, forest botanist Robert Madera explained the importance of building a robust native plant seed bank.  In partnership with the Institute of Applied Technology, the test site will assist the Institute and the Forest Service in understanding plant growth and how and when to seed.  All of which is vital information for post-wildfire restoration.

Later, forest silviculturist Patty Ringle discussed the multi-phased Dude Fire Restoration Project, which is restoring the Dude Fire burn scar to a healthy, fire-adapted forest.  The Dude Fire occurred in 1990 and tragically killed six firefighters from the Perryville Crew, a state inmate crew that trained and volunteered to serve as wildland firefighters.

The group then traveled to Prescott National Forest, to learn about a collaborative nursery effort with the Institute for Applied Ecology and to visit Fieldhouse Farms and a community college nursery near Chino Valley.  The small-scale seed production operations support forest restoration projects all throughout the Tonto.

The tour concluded with visits to California’s renowned Lake Tahoe and the CAL FIRE Reforestation Center.  These visits were both informative and cultural, as the delegation witnessed not only how American’s enjoy public lands for recreation, but also how the Forest Service collaborates with CAL FIRE to advance reforestation and conservation efforts.  

By the end of the journey the Algerian team departed with a wealth of technical knowledge, practical insights and a renewed vision for managing their nation’s critical water and forest resources.