ARIZONA, USA — This year’s Capitol Christmas tree is not only bringing a festive and cheery holiday atmosphere to the lobby of the Arizona statehouse but also serves another purpose.
The Douglas fir wasn’t randomly selected to be on display at the Capitol but instead was removed as part of a project that harvests trees to make local forests healthier. Forest areas are thinned to decrease the risk of high-intensity wildfires and subsequent post-fire flooding in the watersheds.
The project is the Roosevelt Good Neighbor Authority Project. It’s part of a larger project, the Cragin Watershed Protection Project, which was started in 2018.
The tree’s original home was the Coconino National Forest, off the Mogollon Rim, before it was removed by the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.
The CWPP project has plans to treat 64,000 acres of land in and around the area to protect the watershed for the Town of Payson.
Since 2018, Payson has drawn about 3,000 acre-feet of water a year from Cragin Reservoir. The reservoir is directly fed by three main watersheds that sit atop the Mogollon Rim.
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Wildfire Go-Kit:
Residents in wildfire-prone areas are urged to have an emergency supplies kit to bring with them of they are evacuated from their homes, especially as Arizona residents are beginning to see early widespread fire activity throughout the state.
An emergency supply kit should be put together long before a wildfire or another disaster occurs. Make sure to keep it easily accessible so you can take it with you when you have to evacuate.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends that residents near a disaster store emergency supplies in a plastic tub, small suitcase, trash can, backpack, or other containers.
Residents should make sure they have the necessities, such as three gallons of water per person and a three-day supply of ready-to-eat food, the NFPA said. A first-aid kit, prescription medications, contact lenses, and non-prescription drugs should also be taken into account.
Copies of any important family documents, including insurance policies, identification, bank account records, and emergency contact numbers should also be taken and put into a waterproof, portable container in your kit, the NFPA said.
The association lists other items that would help in a disaster, including:
- Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
- Battery-powered or hand-cranked radio and a NOAA weather radio to receive up-to-date information
- Dust mask or cotton T-shirt to filter the air
- Matches in a waterproof container
- Complete change of clothing including long pants, long sleeve shirts, and sturdy shoes stored in a waterproof container
- Signal flare
The entire NFPA checklist of supplies can be found here.
