About Us

The Partnership

The overarching goal of RCFMP is to reduce the threat that wildland fire poses to lives and communities by helping property owners near public lands implement tree thinning treatments on their property. Through those treatments, the project seeks to not only reduce fire risk but also improve forest health and complement fuels reduction treatments occurring on adjacent National Forest or State Trust lands.

The partnership includes: Kaibab and Coconino National Forests; Arizona State Forestry Division; Coconino County; City of Williams; NAU Ecological Restoration Institute; University of Arizona and these fire service agencies: Sherwood Forest Estates, Ponderosa, Williams, Summit, Highlands, Blue Ridge and Happy Jack.

Some History

The partnership formed in 2001 for the purpose of reducing the risk of wildfire on private property, and managed to thin 51 acres in the Parks area that first year.  The amount of acres thinned has increased almost every year since then, with over 2,000 acres treated to date.

The efforts of the Rural Communities Fuels Management Partnership (RCFMP) have been recognized at the national level. The partnership received a national USDA Forest Service award for strengthening relationships, improving communities and engaging in natural resource stewardship in 2004.  The Partnership was also a recipient of the 2004-2005 national Rural Community Assistance Award in the Leadership Category. Specifically, the partnership was recognized for demonstrating exceptional leadership that enabled on-the-ground planning and actions to take place.

Besides working to thin forested private property, the partnership has also focused its efforts on educating landowners about the importance of making their property more defensible against wildland fire. Throughout the project, property owners are educated about their roles and responsibilities in fuels management and forest health. That educational focus was acknowledged in the RCA award citation:

"In the spirit of working together for rural America, the Rural Communities Fuels Management Partnership is recognized for outstanding leadership in education and community involvement through on-the-ground demonstrations to help local communities in northern Arizona improve forest health and reduce the risk of wildland fire."

For partnership members, the most important part about receiving national recognition like the RCA award is that it put RCFMP in a better position to compete for grant funds. The partnership's goal is to treat as many properties as possible, and RCFMP is now well positioned for continuing its work into 2013.

In 2005, the Rural Communities Fuels management Partnership donated the treatment of 11 acres to the Pinal County Pine Combs 4-H Camp, and has assisted others in need as well. 

The Arizona State Forestry Division and the University of Arizona contact property owners and designate the trees for removal.  The actual thinning work is done by Coconino Rural Environmental Corps crews, inmate crews, or contractors.  Local fire departments and agencies support the program in a variety of ways.  For example, volunteer fire departments staff a site designated by the Forest Service for property owners to deposit woody material when they clean up their property.  The County uses their equipment to consolidate the material into a pile and the Forest Service burns the pile when conditions are right.  The partnership is informal, but all participants are committed to do what it takes to get the job done.