Southwest Projects

Fire on the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch

Our Goals
Increase grassland health, inform best land management practices, and maintain safety on the Research Ranch through prescribed fire, on-the-ground research, and preparing for unexpected burns
What We’re Doing
We work with land managers and researchers to conduct closely studied prescribed burns and with volunteers, our neighbors, and fire professionals to deploy Firewise management strategies across the ranch

In the past, wildfires created an annually shifting patchwork of habitats on the Research Ranch. Old, dense stands of grass would support Botteri's and Grasshopper Sparrow, mid-height grass would abound with Chihuahuan Meadowlark, and Burrowing Owl and Horned Lark would find homes in the most freshly burned areas. Most areas burned every five to twenty years, on average, but today things look very different. Extremely responsive fire crews prevent fires that start outside the ranch from reaching our borders and, while there have been periodic fires on the ranch, some quite significant, it doesn’t regularly burn as it historically would have. 

 

Combine this with the exclusion of cattle, changes in flora, and warmer, drier days brought on by climate change, and you have a landscape that is likely to burn differently than it once did. Complicating things further, our most problematic invasive grasses can benefit from burns at the expense of native species. 

Research Ranch Prescribed Fire Program 

Despite the risks and unknowns, prescribed fire is still one of the few land management tools that can be applied efficiently at scale, and the ranch offers a perfect laboratory where new methods can be explored and best practices can be identified. That’s why in 2024 we convened the experts – wildland firefighters, land managers, conservation professionals, universities, researchers, ranchers, and more – to discuss bringing fire back to the ranch. With the help of this working group, we identified the 550-acres bordered by our Main Loop Road as our future burn area. 

Still in its early planning phase, the Research Ranch’s prescribed fire program is making progress. While working on our burn plan with the Bureau of Land Management and others, we’re rallying our community of researchers to take advantage of eventual burns. So far, research partners include Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, Tucson Bird Alliance, and Borderlands Restoration Network, and potential areas of study include invasive and woody vegetation management; burn impacts on birds, reptiles, small mammals, and Emory Oak; and comparisons between Indigenous and modern burning practices. 

Stay tuned for updates as the project develops and, if you’re a researcher looking to become involved, reach out at researchranch@audubon.org.   

Research Ranch Firewise Program 

Fire Wise is a program of the National Fire Prevention Association that "teaches people how to adapt to living with wildfire and encourages neighbors to work together and take action". Here in the grasslands of southeastern Arizona, following the best practices identified in this program is key to the safety of our staff, visitors, facilities, and neighbors. Supported by funding from the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, Fire Wise efforts on the AWRR include:  

  • Maintenance of 6.1 acres of defensible space around Research Ranch Headquarters and Researcher Complex 
  • Improvement and maintenance of fuel breaks along 21 miles (24.56 acres) of Research Ranch roads 
  • Engagement of volunteers in Firewise treatments twice annually 
  • Periodic community presentations focused on Firewise best practices 

 

To learn about employing similar practices at home, visit the National Fire Prevention Association's website here.