The very model of a modern collaboration
On behalf of the Forest Guild, a national association
of professional foresters with deep roots in community forestry, I
would like to comment on Peter Friederici’s article "Peace
Breaks Out in New Mexico’s Forests" (HCN, 10/30/06). The
Forest Guild was one of the collaborators on the Rowe Mesa
Collaborative Forest Restoration Project (CFRP) referred to in the
article. A quote in the article by a local individual maligns the
outcome of the project.
In fact, the Rowe Mesa project is a model of a science-based collaboration that thinned the small, young trees that choked the understory, protected large trees and soils, and closed roads on a 300-acre ponderosa pine stand. The Rowe Mesa restoration is one of the few CFRP grants that has restored low-intensity surface fires to the site — a key component of ecosystem restoration. Scientific monitoring of the site shows that the forest is now closer to its historical character and less at risk from severe fire. In addition, Rowe Mesa continues to support fuelwood collection on which the local community depends. More information is available at www.forestguild.org/RoweMesa.html.
Alexander Evans
Forest Guild, Research Director
Santa Fe, New Mexico
In fact, the Rowe Mesa project is a model of a science-based collaboration that thinned the small, young trees that choked the understory, protected large trees and soils, and closed roads on a 300-acre ponderosa pine stand. The Rowe Mesa restoration is one of the few CFRP grants that has restored low-intensity surface fires to the site — a key component of ecosystem restoration. Scientific monitoring of the site shows that the forest is now closer to its historical character and less at risk from severe fire. In addition, Rowe Mesa continues to support fuelwood collection on which the local community depends. More information is available at www.forestguild.org/RoweMesa.html.
Alexander Evans
Forest Guild, Research Director
Santa Fe, New Mexico
