Forest products cluster development in Central Arizona - implications for landscape-scale forest restoration.

Nicholls, David. 2014. Forest products cluster development in central Arizona— implications for landscape-scale forest restoration. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNWGTR-898. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 18 p. Since 2004, close to 50,000 ac of hazardous fuels have been mechanically treated in east-central Arizona as part of the USDA Forest Service’s first 10-year stewardship project on national forest lands. The need for coordinated wood products and biomass utilization in Arizona is likely to increase as broad-scale restoration treatments across Arizona’s national forests remove large amounts of wood fiber in coming decades. This research considers biomass availability and land ownership patterns for three potential wood products cluster sites in the Mogollon Rim region of Arizona (Show Low, Flagstaff, and Heber-Overgaard, Arizona). The formation of one or more wood products clusters in the Mogollon Rim region could create tangible benefits for communities in central Arizona as new businesses utilize increasing volumes of wood fiber. Land ownership patterns varied greatly between the locations, with federal lands predominating near Flagstaff and private ownership more common near Show Low. Regardless of the path forward, community support for forest restoration initiatives is likely to be a key to success, as is a shared vision held by stakeholders.