Arizona Chapter of Soil and Water Conservation Society Responds to Recovery Efforts of Arizona's Largest Wildfire

The Arizona Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) coordinated a special field demonstration of practices used to prevent soil erosion following the 2002 Rodeo-Chediski wildfire. The Rodeo-Chediski wildfire in east central Arizona, fueled by severe drought conditions, consumed approximately 1,890 square kilometers (467,000 acres) of timber on National Forest, White Mountain Apache Nation, and private lands becoming the largest wildfire in Arizona's history. About 33 square kilometers (8,192 acres) of private land, including 491 homes and businesses were burned. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) approved a $2.9 million Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) project initiating a large-scale fire recovery assistance program for private landowners affected by the wildfire. Arizona SWCS Chapter members, NRCS EWP detailees, and NRCS Earth Team volunteers joined forces to provide technical assistance and to demonstrate conservation practices, designed to protect lives and property from the effects of flooding and erosion resulting from the wildfire. Practices constructed during the demonstration included seeding, straw mulching, straw bale diversions and check dams, and contour wattles. As a result of the demonstration, a severely burned sub-watershed was completely treated and residents were provided with technical information to assist them with the recovery of their fire-damage property.