A survey of effects of intentional burning on fuels and timber stands of ponderosa pine in Arizona

Abstract

Limited intentional burning of ponderosa pine timberlands to achieve net benefits has been going on for years. Many statements of results have been published. Most statements have been based on small plot records or subjective observations. Hence, the statements have been questioned by some readers and have led to debate over the merits of intentionally burning ponderosa pine timberlands.The intentional burning of approximately 27,000 acres of ponderosa pine timberlands on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in east-central Arizona in the fall of 1956 provided an opportunity to learn more about results. The burning was done by experienced men during weather that they considered favorable.The burn was surveyed in the fall of 1957, using 6,666 sample points uniformly distributed over the area. The survey was concerned only with the influence of the burning on fuels and timber stands, and not with the influence of the burning on other resources of the land.

Citation

Lindenmuth, A. W., Jr. 1960. A survey of effects of intentional burning on fuels and timber stands of ponderosa pine in Arizona. Station Paper 54. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 13 p.