Stakeholders use science to find common ground on wood supply fr...( Northern Arizona University has rele...)

Northern Arizona University has released a report that identifies the potential volume of wood resources available from more than 2 million acres of Arizona forests, representing the first major agreement among groups typically at odds over the issue of forest thinning.

The Wood Supply Analysis report identifies a potential supply of up to 850 million cubic feet of wood and 8 million tons of biomass from branches and timber residue for such commercial uses as pallets, firewood, poles, lumber, mulch and stove pellets.

A group of 20 stakeholders representing forest wood-product businesses, local government, environmental groups and public land and resource management agencies worked with scientists from NAU to build agreement about the amount and type of wood supply that could be available from the thinning of Arizonas ponderosa pine forests to promote ecosystem health and reduce the risk of unnaturally severe wildfire.

Even the best science and the best of intentions are of limited value if they cannot inform decisions and appropriate action, said NAU professor Tom Sisk, founder of NAUs Forest Ecosystem Restoration Analysis Project, which led the effort. I think we have turned a corner, where everybody wants to see on-the-ground progress in forest stewardship.

The stakeholder group included representatives from the USDA Forest Service, Center for Biological Diversity, Grand Canyon Trust, NAUs Ecological Restoration Institute, Forest Energy/Future Forests, the Greater Flagstaff Forests Partnership and others.

The group evaluated 2.4 million acres of ponderosa pine forest stretching from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, across the Mogollon Plateau, to the New Mexico state line. The area primarily encompasses the Coconino, Kaibab and Apache-Sitgreaves national forests, a small portion of the Tonto National Forest and some private and state lands.

The group agreed that the identified wood and biomass resources
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