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Western Mogollon Plateau Adaptive Landscape Assessment (WMPALA) study area

The WMPALA study area focused on approximately two million acres of ponderosa pine-dominated forests in north-central Arizona. It includes portions of the Coconino, Apache-Sitgreaves, Tonto, and Kaibab National Forests and all other ownerships within the defined boundaries. A series of workshops generated landscape-scale forest restoration and community protection guidance for decision-makers using a collaborative, science-based approach.

The Western Mogollon Plateau Adaptive Landscape Assessment (WMPALA) study area.

Forests within the study area grade from ponderosa pine to mixed conifer and spruce-fir at higher elevations and to pinyon-juniper at lower elevations. Other fairly common tree species include quaking aspen and Gambel’s oak. Elevations throughout the project study site range from approximately 6,000 feet to 12,633 feet on Humphrey’s Peak in the San Francisco peaks just north of Flagstaff. Precipitation ranges from 17 to over 30 inches at the highest elevations, with approximately 65 percent of the precipitation falling as snow (USDA NRCS). Recreation is an important land use in this area, which contains five national forests (Kaibab, Coconino, Apache-Sitgreaves, Tonto and Gila) and many wilderness and other specially designated areas. Cattle grazing is also common across the area. Commercial timber cutting was historically dominant in the region; however, since the early 1990s timber cutting has been drastically curtailed.