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<br />, - <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />have been very few large wildfires: and these occurred only on <br />the untreated forest lands. So the use of controlled burning <br />in Arizona to prevent June conflagrations adds information and <br />experience to that already gained in the south, the Pacific <br />Northwest, California and elsewhere. <br /> <br />Controlled burning of chaparral is being tried on the Fort <br />Apache Indian Reservation, and the Tonto National Forest. An <br />area that is burned and reseeded for a few dollars an acre will <br />not be subject to wildfire for a period ranging from 10 to 15 <br />years, This means quite a saving, since suppression costs have <br />averaged around $25. an acre - more than the land is worth. <br /> <br />Controlled burning is being effectively used in combination <br />with mechanical treatments to reconvert pinyon-juniper stands to <br />grasslands. Where controlled burning has not yet been applied, <br />it is questionable whether the rate of mechanical control ex- <br />ceeds the rate of re-invasions, even though a million and a <br />quarter acres have been treated in the state during the past <br />15 years. <br /> <br />Across the nation, and around the world controlled burning <br />is being used to improve production of timber, quail, waterfowl, <br />deer, livestock, water and conditions for recreation (Komarek, 1963). <br />This year, the public was denied the full recreational use of our <br />National Forests in Arizona for six weeks in June and July, just <br />because of the highly explosive fire conditions. The price we <br />pay in denied recreational use and the initial high price that <br />must be paid for reducing explosive fire hazards, according to <br />Mr. Komarek, must be charged against past management practices <br />that have allowed these fuels to accumulate. After initial <br />treatment, controlled burning at regular intervals can be done <br />at a nominal cost. <br /> <br />With this explanation, it is suggested that "controlled <br />burning" be included in the recommendations listed under: "B, <br />Protection from Fire." <br /> <br />II RESOURCE MANAGEMENT. A. Timber Production. <br /> <br />In support of the silvicultural recommendations, even-age <br />management is being tried out for the first time in Arizona by <br />the Coconino National Forest (Kirpatrick, 1963). Aimed at <br />maintaining the growth of timber at a maximum level of product- <br />ion, this system will remove around three times the commercial <br />volume formerly marked for logging under the old selection system. <br />This still means the removal of only 5 percent of the total number <br />of trees of all sizes. Tied to a site classification system, <br />trees being harvested are those formerly lost to mistletoe, to <br />lightning and to the death of trees due to over-maturity. Logging <br />will be followed by a pulp-wood harvest and overstocked sapling <br />stands will be thinned. Slash not used for pulp will be burned <br />and disturbed areas will be reseeded. Over and above accelerating <br /> <br />-2- <br />