Abert's squirrel

One current method of promoting healthy, fire-resistant stands is prescribed burning, in which a fire is deliberately set and controlled, or an accidental fire is allowed to burn, where conditions are conducive to a fire with the favorable outcomes of ground-fuel reduction, stand-thinning and the production of more grasses and forbs. Forest maintenance policy is a tricky issue in Northern Arizona and throughout the West, where development continually extends into forest and communities feel the imperative to suppress fires that might threaten their homes and businesses, but meanwhile often create the conditions for fewer, but more potentially destructive fires later.

> Mule deer eating Ponderosa

People aren't the only animals that like to live among the ponderosas. The animal life of an average pine forest in Northern Arizona is Bambi-esque with the standard cast of furry woodland creatures, including skunks, porcupines, deer, bunnies and the like. There are a few animals that are closely associated with the ponderosa pine, however, like the Tassel-eared Abert's squirrel, that uses the tree for practically everything, from housing to food. These little critters get high marks on the adorability scale with their extravagantly tufted ears and live almost exclusively in ponderosa pine forests. The red-shafted flicker, a handsome bird characterized by a dapper black bib and red "moustache" can climb up the ponderosa trunks and hammer away for bugs like woodpeckers, but tends to prefer rummaging around on the forest floor for its food. The brown creeper is an understated, mousy little bird that gets its name for the way it scoots up the trunks of the ponderosa in a spiral pattern as it uses its curved bill to pick bugs from the bark.

Hiking, hunting, winter sports, picnicking, mountain biking ... the recreational uses of the Arizona pine forests are many, and time spent strolling in a fragrant stand of pines is one of the special experiences of the Arizona high country.

Article by Sarah Horton.