The Silver King Demonstration Area project
Answers to frequently asked questions

NOTE: The information below is from a newsletter that was mailed to all Groom Creek residents on April 24, 2008.

The Silver King Demonstration Area as seen from Friendly Pines Road

You may have noticed the flagging and the logging work going on in the area of Friendly Pines Road and Silver King Circle. 

We continue to respond to questions from our community on this work, and what it’s about. And we are happy to do so. These questions are welcomed and are encouraged. 

However, we want to take this opportunity to answer a few of the more common questions with this informational brochure. Below are some of the more commonly asked questions, and some brief answers to them.

What is the project about?

The “Silver King Demonstration Area,” as it is called, is designed to accomplish several goals that will help our community in several ways.

• We want to remove Groom Creek from the Federal Register of “Communities at Risk” of a catastrophic wildland fire.
• A less-dense tree population can restore public safety to the level where residents can remain in the home during a wildland fire, and eliminate the need to evacuate.
• The current overgrowth of our forest has caused an unhealthy vegetation state.
• Due to the competition for water, our Ponderosa Pines are stressed and highly susceptible to Bark Beetles.
• Reducing the number of trees not only enhances the safety of our community from wildfires, it also helps bring the forest back to a historically natural state, increasing overall forest health.
• By “natural,” we are referring to the state of the forest before human fire suppression came into effect 100 to 150 years ago.

How will this increase forest health, and will it impact the beauty of our forest?

• We all love the beauty and serenity that the forest provides. No one involved in this project wants to lose this.
• What many do not know is that the forest in its current state is actually “unnatural.”
• Due to human interference in suppressing fires, the forest has become overgrown and unhealthy.
• The natural cycle of forest fires in a Ponderosa Pine forest is once every 10 to 20 years.
• These fires would naturally “clean” the forest and keep it healthy and sustainable.
• Think “natural selection” or “survival of the fittest.”
• Before man settled the Ponderosa Pine forests, and fires were allowed to burn naturally, the amount of mature Ponderosa Pines per acre was about 40 to 60 trees per acre.
• After man’s settlement, and with the aggressive fire suppression tactics put in place, the average amount of Pines per acre has grown to approximately 400.
• With this overpopulation, the trees have to compete for valuable water and soil nutrients.
• As a result, they are extremely susceptible to drought, malnutrition, disease and insect infestation.
• With proper thinning, the remaining trees should be able to grow stronger, thus increasing overall health of the local vegetation.

How does this help reduce fire danger?

• As mentioned above, the natural cycle of forest fires in a Ponderosa Pine forest is once every 10 to 20 years.
• These fires would naturally “clean” the forest and keep it healthy. Think “Natural Selection or “Survival of the Fittest.”
• Due to settlement of the area, there hasn'tt been an unimpeded, natural cleaning fire for over 100 years.
• Fires have had to be suppressed due to the influx of people building homes in forested areas. It is unsafe to let fires burned uncontrolled – or “naturally.”

• Thick vegetation surrounds this Groom Creek residence. The Silver King Demonstration Area project will bring this to a healthy and safe level.

  As a result of the fire suppression and our current drought conditions, we have seen the emergence of “Mega Fires.” These are the fires that you probably have seen make the news every summer for the last few years.
• These Mega Fires can grow to over 500,000 acres, and we see them every year now. Only ten years ago, fires of this size were very rare. Now they are commonplace.
• These Mega Fires can completely strip an ecosystem or a forest of all plant life. They burn the soil so hot that regeneration can take decades.
• Due to current drought conditions and vegetation loading (the amount of vegetation in a given area), the Prescott National Forest and Groom Creek are very susceptible to a large fire.
• By bringing the amount of Ponderosa Pines back down to a natural and sustainable level, we can decrease the chance of a large fire in our community.
• If there is in fact a large fire locally, the thinned areas should give us a chance to slow or stop the fire, and better defend the homes in those areas.

How do you determine what trees get removed?

• The Demonstration Area is happening within a specific group of properties in Groom Creek.
• These property owners are fully aware of the project and its scope.
• No trees are being removed from outside of this boundary.
• To view a map of the specific boundary, contact the Groom Creek Fire District.
• We are sensitive to the input of property owners within the treatment area regarding trees that will stay or go.
• The prescription for which trees will be removed is complex, yet relatively simple…
• Trees that are unhealthy and stressed from viruses, bark beetle, or lagging in the competition for water may be removed.
• We do not remove any oak, decorative trees, or trees that a property owner specifically requests to keep.
• The removal algorithm is based on the number of trees that would live in an undisturbed, natural environment.
• Our goal is to keep that amount of trees that would potentially exist if the natural cycle of wildfires were allowed to take place unimpeded.
• The above numbers are taken from recorded historical data.

What does the flagging represent?

This area of a Ponderosa Pine forest was overtaken by a large fire. Note that there are no living trees remaining. Due to the overgrowth of this area, the fire burned hotter and faster than normal.

Different colors of flagging will be visible on trees in the area. Each color signifies something different. The color code is:

• Orange: Trees that will remain in place.
• Blue: Trees that will be removed.
• Lime: Mark special hazards such as hazardous trees, septic tanks, wells, etc.
• Pink: Trees that will take special care to remove (technical).
• Red: Indicates the boundary of the thinning area.
• Blue and White: Indicate spots where logs will be stacked for removal.

Who is profiting from the logs being removed?

• In a nutshell – no one is really profiting.
• The logs are too large for local crews to manage. Hauling them away prevents waste of the wood.
• The logs being removed are being purchased from us at a rate of $7.50 per ton.
• To date, the Fire District has received a total of $350 for the logs removed.
• Conversely, we have paid approximately $50,000 in costs for this project.
• All funds received from the sale of the lumber help pay for the project.
• Property owners do not get paid for the wood removed from their property.

Are you going to cut trees from my property?

• Not without your explicit written permission.

What is the sequence of events that happens during this project?

1. Trees are marked with the appropriate color of flagging.
2. The marked trees are then evaluated by the project team and property owner.
3. Designated trees are then cut.
4. Logs are dragged to the side of the road where they are accessible to equipment.
5. Logs are loaded onto trucks and removed.
6. Remaining slash, litter, branches, etc are removed and cleaned up.
7. Remaining flagging is removed.

I understand about forest health and fire safety. Are there any other benefits?

Yes, absolutely.  Some of the other benefits include:

• More wildlife to be seen and a better wildlife habitat in general.
• Deer and other animals can see farther, and can better see predators. The thinner areas allow better protection from danger, so they will gather in these areas.
• The thinner overhead canopy allows more sunlight to reach the forest floor. This results in more grass and under story growth, which provides food for animals.
• You can enjoy a return of the natural grasses and wildflowers in the area, which brings more variety of plant life to the forest.
• The thinner areas allow for more visibility and sunlight for you.
• The remaining Ponderosa Pines do not have to compete as much for resources, which will result in stronger, taller mature trees in the future.
• Lower insurance rates. By having Groom Creek removed from the Federal Register of “Communities at Risk,” local homeowners should be able to save money on insurance rates.
• We are safer from a catastrophic wildfire in our community.

I moved here to enjoy the forest, now what?

• This is a view of a healthy Ponderosa Pine forest with grass and wildflower growth. The open space allows wildlife more safety from predators, and provides food for many species of birds, mammals and insects.

  As mentioned above, we all love the beauty and serenity that our forest provides.
• No one involved in this project wants to lose this, and we all want to preserve this beauty.
• However, if left unchecked, the current overgrowth could lead to no forest at all.
• With current drought conditions, a fire moving through the area has the potential to torch all trees and leave us with nothing.
• For an example of this, you can visit parts of the forest hit with the 2002 Indian Fire. There are areas where there are no Ponderosa Pine trees left. In place is now oak brush, and tall black sticks.
• The recent outbreak of bark beetles killed many more trees. Some areas of the forest experienced up to 80% mortality rate from the insects.
• Even during times of moisture from snow and monsoon rains, the trees still cannot get enough water and are susceptible to beetle infestation when there are too many trees.
• Beetle mortality and catastrophic fires are considered the result of overcrowded and overgrown forest conditions (combined with recent drought conditions).
• By smart thinning, as in the Silver King Demonstration Area, we can reduce the likelihood of these scenarios happening here.
• By smart management, we can look forward to preserving our forest and community for a long time to come.

If you would like further or more in-depth information, feel free to contact:

For Public Information Use Only

Produced by
Groom Creek Fire District
1110 E Friendly Pines Road
Prescott, AZ 86303
Phone: 928-778-6519
Fax: 928-443-5078
Web: www.groomcreek.org