Phase 2 of the Dude Fire Restoration project on the Tonto National Forest Payson Ranger District began June 5. The project continues a collaboration between the Tonto and state partners to improve the health and vigor of ponderosa pine trees in the Dude Fire burn scar and confront the wildfire crisis along the Mogollon Rim.
Contracted crews are restoring 1,143 acres of ponderosa pine and woodland by reducing tree densities and removing competing brush through mastication, a treatment wherein crews use various equipment to grind, chip, or break apart brush and small woodland tree species and turn them into smaller pieces. Mastication also reduces competition for water and nutrients and reduces forest fuels near private property.
During Phase 2, mastication will include slash piles near Mead and Long Ranches adjacent to Forest Road 29.
“Without mechanical treatment, it is only a matter of time before the area is impacted by a stand replacement wildfire again, which would reset the area to conditions similar to 1990 after the Dude Fire,” said Patty Ringle, a forest silviculturist for the Tonto National Forest.
Most living overstory trees in a forest are killed during a stand replacing fire.
Forest Service officials forecast a December 2024 completion for Phase 2. The four-phased project will continue through 2026 and treat a total of 7,600 acres. Phase 1 concluded in February with crews treating 1,453 acres.
This project also supports and protects two key watersheds -- the Upper East Verde and Ellison Creek that flow into the Verde and Salt River watersheds -- by decreasing fuel continuity which reduces the risk of severe wildfires.
High-intensity wildfires like the Dude Fire impact watersheds by decreasing soil nutrients and increasing soil erosion. This threatens water quality, infrastructure and storage capacity when rainfall washes ash and debris into rivers and reservoirs.
The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management awards and administers contracts for the project through the Good Neighbor Authority -- a cooperative agreement that allows the USDA Forest Service to authorize states, counties, and federally recognized Indian tribes to conduct certain projects on federal lands in pursuit of specified land management goals. Additional partners include the Salt River Project and Arizona Game and Fish Department.
“The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management is pleased to continue our partnership with the Tonto National Forest and SRP as we begin work on Phase 2 of the Dude Fire Restoration project,” said Dee Hines, DFFM Operations Forester, Central District. “We continue to focus on restoring ponderosa pine forests and reducing fuel loads in the Dude Fire footprint to safeguard communities around the project area and protect infrastructure critical to Arizonans.”
The project supports the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI), one of 21 landscapes the Forest Service recently identified as part of the agency’s 10-year strategy for confronting the wildfire crisis. In addition to the Tonto, this landscape initiative extends across Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino and Kaibab National Forests. Its goal is to restore the structure, pattern, composition, and health of fire-adapted ponderosa pine ecosystems, reducing fuels and the risk of unnaturally severe wildfires, and providing for wildlife and plant diversity.
Phase 2 images and video are available online on flickr.