Historical Overview of Vegetation Management on Fort Huachuca AZ Section SRM meeting Ft Huachuca, 14 Jan 2009 Sheridan Stone Wildlife Biologist 1
Fort Huachuca Vegetation 2
Fort Huachuca Soils 3
Fort Huachuca Military Reservation 73,142 ac East Reservation 28,544 ac West Reservation 44,598 ac 5,720 ac in housing, offices, training & ops facilities, airfield Domain use: Agency is land owner & land user 4
Establishment & frontier period 1877~1883: Military Reservation withdrawal & boundary changing 1881 & 1883 Exec Orders Strategically located in area of basin & range topography, but Site selected for natural resources: grass, water, wood 5
Establishment & frontier period (cont) Sawmill in Huachuca Canyon 1879 Not much saw timber railroad brought it in cheaper Wood cutting for heating & cooking Grazing: Army horses & mules, likley some private cattle First plant list for Fort Huachuca MAJ Timothy Wilcox; published 6
Establishment & frontier period (cont) 1879 photo 7
1880 Huachuca Canyon 8
1893 Huachuca Canyon 9
Homesteading & ranching period Some timber cutting Firewood cutting for cooking & heating Grazing: Army horses & mules, some cattle for dairy & beef Apache scout patrols for fire detection, trespass for unauthorized use of natural resources 10
1918 - Cavalry era & World Wars 11
Cavalry era & World Wars (cont) 1924, June 5 EO 4246 (Calvin Coolidge) transferred administration of the mountainous portion of Fort Huachuca from the Army to the Coronado NF & named Huachuca Ranger District, with the provision that the lands remain subject to the unhampered use of the War Department for purposes of National defense. 12
Cavalry era & World Wars (cont) 1929, July 1 Executive Order 5147 (Herbert Hoover) revoked the Coronado NF administration of the mountainous portion of Fort Huachuca that had been established by E.O. 4246. 13
1929 - Cavalry era & World Wars 14
1940 - Cavalry era & World Wars 15
1940 - Cavalry era & World Wars 16
1942 - Cavalry era & World Wars 17
Cavalry era & World Wars (cont) 1930 Fort determined cattle grazing on Post was no longer compatible with military activities, and fencing would be installed to keep cows out CCC & WPA conservation activities: rock check dams for gully erosion likely boundary fencing 18
AGFD Wildlife Area 1949-1951 PL 537 5/19/1948 authorized transfer of real property for wildlife & other purposes 1/26/1949 14 Fed Reg 355 Wildlife Order 2 Transfer of Portion of Fort Huachuca to the State of AZ Game & Fish Comm 1 st Vegetation map developed Wallmo Plant surveys Goodding Bison introduction: inc to 400 in 2 yrs Army reclaimed in 1952 19
Cold War era East Range acquisition & end of ranching Grazing history early 1900s-1950s Start of natural resource management by the Army Wildlife & habitat mgmt Shrub treatment: topping mountain mahogany to stimulate palatable regrowth within reach of browse deer 20
Modern era (cont) Mesquite clearing: (200 ac) ~1965 Wildlife food plots - millet Fire: wildfire & prescribed burning Some post-fire conifer replanting at higher elevations Pilot study effects of fire on density of agave flower stalks 1990 Survey for sensitive plant species potentially on the fort 21
Integrated natural resource management Vegetation management for: wildlife habitat fire risk and fuel reduction watershed and vegetation cover rehab, &/or military training land management 22
Fire Frequency Map 23
Integrated natural resource management, cont. East Range Land rehabilitation: contour rootplowing lanes & reseeding through 1989 Watershed rehab to decrease erosion and off-post sedimentation Prescribed burning to reduce woody plants (e.g. mesquite, desert broom) not effective: fire doesn t carry well & heat release/ fire intensity insufficient to kill shrubs 24
Burning in light fuels 25
Integrated natural resource management, cont. Vegetation/habitat protection Agave Management Areas in grasslands (for Lesser long-nosed bat) & Agave Mgmt Plan burning allowable once per decade no tactical vehicles off the dirt roads no pyrotechnics or firing blanks w/in 0.25 mi of AMA 26
Integrated natural resource management, cont. Mexican Spotted Owl Protected Activity Centers, > 600 Ac of suitable habitat 11 PAC, covering 6279 Ac No treatments during breeding season (including some helipad maintenance) Critical Habitat for Endangered Huachuca Water Umbel 3.8 miles along Garden Cr 27
Protected vegetation/habitat 28
Lilium parryi Lemon Lily 29
Erigeron lemmonii Lemmon fleabane 30
Burning for archeology survey 31
2008 - Masticating invasive woody plants 32
Mastication of invasive woody plants 33
Mastication of invasive woody plants 34
Mastication of invasive woody plants 35
Mastication of invasive woody plants 36
Non-indigenous Invasive Plant Grassland Survey 37
Integrated Training Area Management Range Training Land Assessment Monitoring soil, vegetation & other natural resources that might be affected by military missions 38
Land Rehabilitation & Management road closures in training areas, signage, ripping roadbed, reseeding road improvement for tactical and test operations identifying prescribed burns for: risk reduction for training activities clearance for unexploded ordinance or cultural resources 39
Land Rehabilitation & Management (cont d) Fire prevention: no pyrotechnic use or firing blanks w/in 0.25 agave areas 40