AP Academy Students Help Land Managers at Walnut Canyon National Monument

On three days in late September, approximately 90 students from the AP Environmental Science and AP Biology classes at Flagstaff High School participated in a fire ecology and forest management research project at Walnut Canyon National Monument. This was the 2^nd year students participated in this real world research project in partnership with the National Park Service.

1: GPS'ing and surveying a Ponderosa pine at Walnut Canyon Nat'l Mon

Walnut Canyon National Monument resource managers are currently inventorying the entire forest on the monument in attempt to assess the forest structure and catastrophic fire risk to protect natural and cultural resources. The eventual goal is to develop a forest management plan that restores the natural historic structure of the Ponderosa pine forest, as well as, the historic fire regime of small scale ground fires which promotes increased biodiversity on the forest floor, while simultaneously protecting the myriad of archeological sites on the monument.

Future forest management may include thinning projects, prescribed burns, and managed natural fires. But, to maintain the large fire resistant trees on the landscape, forest managers need to know the location and density of the large trees and whether ladder fuels are present that would risk small scale ground fires getting into the forest canopy.

The National Park Service Ranger Steven Rossi and Americorps Vista volunteer Megan Carmel came into the AP classes at Flagstaff High School the week prior to the surveys to do a presentation on the historic forest structure and fire regimes of the region and then to do an onsite training of how to conduct the surveys using trees on the FHS campus.

The next week, these students began surveying trees in the backcountry of the monument. Students worked in groups 3-4 surveying specific transects. Students would identify Ponderosa pine trees larger than 15” in diameter using a DBH tape. Once identified, students would GPS the location of these large trees, determine whether down and dead debris lay under its canopy, and determined whether ladder fuels from nearby vegetation and trees existed that would allow a ground fire to climb up into the canopy. They also took note of any markers, tags, or cultural resources that would be of concern to monument resource managers.

2: Students measuring the diameter of a tree with a DBH tape and GPS'ing the location

Students had an amazing time being able to use real world field experiences in a service learning environment. There was a great feeling of satisfaction knowing that their work will be used by actual land managers to make forest management decisions. They also enjoyed the opportunity to eat lunch perched on the sides of Walnut Canyon, taking in the natural beauty, instead of being stuck inside a classroom.

3: Students enjoying lunch on the edge of Walnut Canyon

The goal is to continue the partnership between the AP Academy at Flagstaff High School and the National Park Service well into the future with future forest surveys planned, as well as, the opportunity to work on invasive species management and other projects at other Flagstaff area parks as well.

4: Searching for large trees