Forest Service reports staffing changes, travel-management decision and elevated wildfire risk for Greenlee County

CLIFTON DISTRICT/ GREENLEE COUNTY — U.S. Forest Service Clifton District staff told the Greenlee County Board of Supervisors the district is undergoing personnel and program changes that could affect fire support, range monitoring and recreation services.

District Ranger Vince Volker said several employees were terminated and that subsequent reviews found some terminations to be unlawful. A subset of employees are being offered rehiring, he said, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture is developing a reduction-in-force plan that could mean further, legally authorized staffing reductions. Volker said the department expected a plan from the secretary of agriculture by April 13 and that the district is ‘‘in flux’’ pending that process.

Volker described specific roles affected: a wildlife biologist who helped clear areas prior to fuels treatments and engage schools; a range-monitoring employee who completed most allotment monitoring; and a recreation employee who maintained campgrounds and sanitation. Volker said some employees offered rehire declined because the change would have required them to cover costs such as class makeups and breaking leases.

The ranger and other Forest Service staff emphasized the district’s small size — ‘‘less than 20 people’’ when fire and non-fire staff are combined — so losing several staffers has an outsized operational effect. Volker warned that many employees have collateral duties across programs (range, fire logistics, education) and that losing staff constrains initial-attack logistics, supply transport and other firefighter-support roles.

Travel-management decision: signed but not implemented Volker said his supervisor has signed the district’s public motorized travel-management decision, but the decision is not yet being implemented. The Forest Service is still reviewing spatial and tabular route data and correcting errors reported by staff and the public. Volker said the decision will only affect the public once maps and emblems are published and implementation steps are complete.

Volker also told the board that camping corridors and big-game retrieval rules in the decision are contingent on costly heritage surveys; those surveys must be complete before camping corridors and game-retrieval allowances can be finalized in the public maps.

Fire outlook, fuels projects and mutual support District Fire Manager Joe Naims briefed the board on fuels projects and the fire-season outlook. Naims said the district has three hazardous-fuels projects (East Iwamud Springs, Mesa and Sunset) and is focused on keeping the 191 corridor as a reliable holding feature for fires. He described recent prescribed burns that lower tree canopy density and reduce fuel continuity.

Naims said seasonal and permanent hiring for fire crews has progressed: he reported hiring additional permanent staff and seasonals to form hand crews. He said the district remains in stage-1 fire restrictions and that drought indicators show much of Arizona in extreme drought. Naims told the board that most fires on the district historically are lightning-caused rather than human-caused, but that human-caused fires remain a statewide problem.

County-Forest Service coordination Board members asked how the county can help. Volker identified Emergency Management Coordinator (Mr.) Bollinger as his primary cooperator contact and invited local partners to a cooperators meeting focused on the 191 corridor. Volker and Naims requested continued multiagency coordination for traffic control, supply logistics and access management during incidents.

Why it matters County officials said the staffing and implementation changes could affect local fire response, road closures and permittee services. Volker and Naims asked for ongoing communication with county emergency management and law enforcement as the district finalizes implementation plans and responds to the reduction-in-force process.