Hualapai Tribal Forestry
History
From 1915 on, cattle and range operations became increasingly important to the tribal economy. Eradication of the woodland, to improve forage quantity and quality, was necessary from the cattlemen's perspective.
On August 10, 1987 the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs placed the overall stewardship of woodlands into the Forestry Program. Under that direction the woodlands may not be exploited for wood products without provision for regeneration and sustained yield.
The Tribal Forestry Program has been the largest federally sponsored program (PL93-638) on the Reservation since 1977. In 1992, Hualapai Tribal Forestry provided jobs for six full-time staff members, six seasonal force-account thinning crew members, and approximately thirty-five seasonal sub-contract thinners.
The early cutting history in the pinyon-juniper woodland began around the turn of the century. Commercial users included local mines for timbering, and the Truxton Canon School which utilized the fuelwood for heating.
Recent roles include PL 93-638 of Fire Management on Hualapai Lands by the Tribe's self determination to oversee wildland fire management and control of related activities.
Conservation and management of the forests and woodlands of the Tribe is of great significance for future generations.
The Hualapai Department of Natural Resources and the Hualapai Tribal Forestry Program continues to provide for range improvement, integrated management also considers wildlife habitat, as well as watershed values, nut gathering areas and sustained yield to meet future fuelwood needs.
HOW TO BECOME A FIRE FIGHTER
Interested individuals who are looking to become a Wildland Fire Fighter for the Hualapai Tribe, here is the information to help you become a fire fighter.
The first requirement is taking a Physical to meet Medical Standards - and this must be completed prior to being certified as a wildland fire fighter. The Tribe’s Fire Management & participant will be notified and provided a schedule for the physical examination.
The second requirement is the basic fire fighting courses
S-130 Fire training,
S-190 Introduction to Fire Behavior,
I-100 Introduction to ICS and
L-180 Human Factors in Wildland Fire Service
These courses must have an overall passing score of 70% or higher.
The third requirement is a Work Capacity Test that consists of
Physically walking 3 miles in 45 minutes with a 45 lb. pack
This is to ensure that the individual is physically fit and can perform his/her capabilities as a wildland fire fighter.
Advanced training courses may also be available both online and in a schedule of trainings by your home unit.
For more information you can call:
HUALAPAI TRIBAL FORSTRY
(928) 769-2312
or drop by our office at
1130 Mesa View Dr. in Peach Springs, AZ.
For all other Employment Opportunities working within the Hualapai Tribal Forestry & Wildland Fire department in the areas of:
ADMINISTRATION
HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCITON
TIMBER
FOREST DEVELOPMENT
GIS
You may contact the Hualapai Tribal Administration:
Human Resources
at (928) 769-2216
or go to Tribe Employment | The Hualapai Tribe Website (hualapai-nsn.gov)
Employment with the Hualapai Tribe begins by filling out an
and turning it in to the:
Human Resources Department at
941 Hualapai Way, Peach Springs, AZ 86434
You may also email it to:
or
Hazardous Fuels Reduction
Reliable & Honest
Within the boundaries of the Hualapai Reservation there are twenty-five timber compartments to provide a framework for area control.
Hazard Fuel Reduction work within the Hualapai Reservation often requires thinning out dense Ponderosa tree stands within designated Timber Compartments, and may encompass a number of other woodlands of Hualapai Lands as needed.
The Hualapai Tribal Forestry maintains a seasonal sawyer crew which has the objective of improving the overall health of standing timber and upcoming growth. Their labor is essential to alleviating the risk of catastrophic wildland fire in the removal of excessive live or dead wildland fuel (vegetation) accumulations.
The goal is preserving mature-sized trees for a sustainable forest. Staff carry out a planned yearly rotation of these compartments for the reduction of surface and ladder fuels. Work is accomplished using mechanical treatments to remove or modify fuels in forested areas, followed up with using woody piling and prescribed fire burning methods within Wildland Fire Management operations.
HUALAPAI LUMBERJACKS
Our Team
Crew members come and go over the years, but each one of our crew is a valued part of a treasured squad of ready-to-go, saw-hauling, get-in-the-bushes, lumberjacks. Seasons are packed with traveling long distances and spending long hours of the day in a remote environment of hilltops and valleys thick with the sweet smell of fresh cut pine as lumberjack crews hike, mark, fall, buck, and pile downed trees.
Those who are looking to become a part of the lumberjack crew find a good thing. And, he or she will find that the entry requirements are relatively easy. It is helpful if the new worker has a mechanical aptitude, and is in good physical shape. Most can get started with simple qualifications.
In some instances, growth in other jobs may be available even to those who have high school, or less. Education and training is encouraged and needed training to do the job is made available. We have an onsite training period for all new workers - who will work with some of the more experienced lumberjacks we have until they are familiar with safety requirements and the duties of the job.
The Hualapai Forestry has been in operation for many years and is growing in its traditional roles of Hazardous Fuels Reduction, Forest Development, and Timber activities. Upcoming areas will be in working with a growing sawmill endeavor to produce lumber products for local community. Wildland Fire is another area where you job qualifications can grow.
Hualapai Lumberjacks
Hardworking, Teamwork, and Spirit. These are just a few of the ways coworkers describe each other as valuable members of a crew of brothers and sisters.
Arduous labor in the countryside is truly a joy only to be appreciated by those willing to embrace it. Having a common vision in protecting majestic Ponderosa Forests and managing our living, breathing Pinyon / Juniper woodlands makes it a pleasure to know natural beauty every single day.
Siviculture
In the forestlands of the Hualapai Reservation, Silviculture is an integral part of for conservation & management practices.
The Hualapai Tribal Forestry activities promote improved growth & composition, health, and quality of Ponderosa Pine forests and adjacent woodlands to meet immediate and future needs. The values of the Hualapai Tribe are such that wildlife habitat, timber, water resources, forest restoration, as well as community recreation are on a sustainable basis. Applying different types of silvicultural treatments such as forest thinning, harvesting, planting, pruning, site preparation, and prescribed burning accomplish this goal on the Tribe’s 25 timber compartments.
Intermediate treatments (thinning) are designed to enhance growth, quality, vigor, and composition of the stand after establishment or regeneration and prior to final harvest.
Prescribed Burning treatments (controlled fires) refer to a reduction of wildland fire hazards which also restore health to the ecosystem by returning nutrients back to the soil, and minimizes the spread of pest insects and disease.
Regeneration treatments (harvesting) are applied to mature stands in order to establish a new age class of trees. Regeneration methods are grouped into four categories: coppice, even-aged, two-aged, and uneven-aged.
Sometimes restoration activities involve returning the Tribe’s forestlands to a composition and structure conducive to a favorable or healthy state. If regeneration does not naturally occur after a deforestation event, a project can then be implemented to replace lost stands of trees. These activities include collecting local genetically tied seeds, growing them in nurseries from a local greenhouse, and identifying where and when to plant.
All vegetation activities, including prescribed fire, wildlife habitat improvement, timber harvesting and cutting trees in campgrounds for human safety must have a silvicultural prescription. A silvicultural prescription is a document which has a planned series of treatments designed to change current stand structure and composition of a stand to one that meets the Tribe’s management goals; which are also prepared or reviewed by a certified silviculturist prior to implementing the project or treatment.
Timber and Forest Development
The socioeconomic and environmental objectives of the Tribe as well as the over-all environmental and socio-economic interests are an integral part of our groundwork. The Hualapai Tribal Forestry makes every effort to preserve the forests of the Hualapai People while providing for sustainable forest development without impairment. Forest development requires harmony of all local human activities within the biological and physical aspects of the forest. Protecting its ecosystems is always a consideration in the future trade of forest products.
Over the years, timber sales have not been a regular source of activities and subsidy for the Tribe because of various economic influences and viability issues within the industry. Forest Development has primarily been the focus of operations.
Hualapai Tribal Forestry undertakes its management work within each timber compartment on a yearly rotational schedule to provide for the highest level of quality in forest health.
Forest Management always considers the Tribe's economic, social, environmental, and cultural benefits for present and future generations when any projects are proposed. And, the Tribe's management practices are intended to promote a self-sustained ecosystem for the forest.
Wildland Fire Management
In 2019 Wildland Fire Management on the Hualapai Reservation was undertaken by the Hualapai Tribe through PL-638. The Hualapai Tribe has a Forest Manager in place with knowledgeable staff to safely and effectively administer low to moderate complexity wildland fire programs,
and continues to maintain a cooperative, interagency partnership between local, county, state, and federal entities to coordinate wildland fire management on the Hualapai Reservation and nearby lands as necessary.
The Hualapai Tribal Forestry & Wildland Fire Management’s mission is to maintain preparedness, planning, and response, for wildland fire and manage prescribed fire functions on Hualapai Lands, as well as coordinate assistance and support to local agencies and other external partners; representing the Hualapai Tribe at Regional and National levels.
WIND MAP
Weather and Wind Direction
See the current wind direction, wind speed, and weather information on the Hualapai Reservation
Lightning Map
This map displays information taken from an outside source (Blitzortung.org) on lightning strikes in our local area as they occur in realtime.
GIS Services
Mapping Needs for the Hualapai Tribe
Hualapai Tribal Forestry is dedicated to providing high quality geospatial services to the Hualapai Tribe and to Programs and Departments of the Hualapai Tribe area. Take a look below to find out what we do, and get in touch with any additional questions or to learn more.
GIS Services
Maps of geographical features are developed through the local staff resources of the Hualapai Tribal Forestry.
GIS (Geographical Information Systems) gives visualization to spatial data on the Hualapai Reservation and its Lands is used for primarily for scientific investigation, natural resources management, development and planning, as well as emergency planning.
GIS, also provides documentation, and gives substance to Tribal Forestry activities by showing where and how the work was done.
GIS - Our geospatial support is present on-site with customized Map Products
Georeferenced PDF maps are made available for various programs and projects. These are designed for use on GPS-enabled mobile device such as smartphones or tablets which can be taken into the field in place of traditional hardcopy maps.
QR Codes are also generated for links to maps resources stored on the Hualapai Tribal Forestry website.
DOWNLOAD links are also made available on this website and updated from time to time as needed for various ongoing activities.
If you would like to make use of this resource, go to your online app store and look for AVENZA MAP or something similar which is able to make use of the georeferenced PDF maps.
Please NOTE: that you will have to open the PDF with the app after downloading. Simply viewing in Adobe Reader will not work. It must be opened with the AVENZA app.
For Android users:
For Apple users
Disclaimer
PLEASE NOTE: ALL INFORMATION PROVIDED HERE IS THE PROPERTY OF THE HUALAPAI TRIBE AND IS NOT INTENDED FOR ANY OTHER USE THAN THAT OF THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT BY THE HUALAPAI TRIBE.
Any representations of resources, areas, fields, sites, boundaries, and other items relevant to the Hualapai Tribe which appear on our maps may or may not be accurate, current, or consistent with legal descriptions. Therefore, all legal questions should be directed to the office of the Chairman of the Hualapai Tribe for comment. NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND OR PURPOSE SHOULD BE IMPLIED.
WARNING: TRAVEL THROUGH REMOTE WILDLAND AREAS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE DANGEROUS AND SERIOUS INJURY MAY RESULT IN AREAS OUTSIDE OF RADIO OR CELL COVERAGE. PLEASE INFORM THE TRIBAL WILDLIFE RANGERS OF YOUR PLANNED ACTIVITIES AND OBTAIN PERMITS IF NECESSARY.
DOWNLOAD links to our Map Products
