Coconino National Forest; Flagstaff Ranger District; Heritage Clearances Special Forest Products - Survey

The purpose of this project is to perform block archaeological inventory in the Deadman Wash-Cedar Ridge area of the Flagstaff District. This pinyon-juniper ecological zone has experienced significant juniper die-off resulting from drought, beetle infestation and tree overcrowding. In response to the increased dead-tree fuel loading this project proposes to open portions of forest routes to fuelwood cutting for the Wood For Life Program (WFL). WFL provides fuel wood to members of local Tribes for household heating and cooking. This project will assist the forest in complying with NHPA and protocols established in the R3 Programmatic Agreement. Also included in the project will be site rerecords for 18 previously recorded sites within the survey units. Site rerecording will include updating legacy site records, boundary delineation to amend current buffered point geometries, current condition assessments, and National Register of Historic Places eligibility recommendations.
The archaeological inventory of the proposed units intends to provide 100% survey coverage where little or no previous survey has occurred. Future treatments proposed in the Deadman Wash-Cedar Ridge task order area will include fuelwood removal for 300 feet off Forest Service roads in the task order area and could also include future treatments like mechanical thinning, prescribed fire and temporary hand and mechanical fireline construction, mastication, and more.
Archaeological inventory includes archival research/records reviews, pedestrian archaeological survey, final reporting, and data entry. The Deadman Wash-Cedar Ridge task order units are situated northeast of the city of Flagstaff, Arizona.