Coronado National Forest

Projects & Plans

Management of Scenic Resources

Introduction

The Coronado National Forest sky islands are unique among the lands in southeastern Arizona. The mountains provide a spectacular backdrop for residents living in desert cities, and visitors enjoy the natural beauty of these special places year-round.

The management of scenic resources is required by many laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974, as amended by the National Forest Management Act of 1976. These acts ensure that scenic resources are treated equally with other resources.

The Forest Service's Scenery Management System (SMS) provides a tool for inventorying and managing scenic resources. The following provides some information about the SMS and how it's being used on the Coronado National Forest.

"Why are we managing scenery? So that out children and grandchildren can enjoy the beauty and spirit of the national forests, just as we have enjoyed them." (Landscape Aesthetics: A Handbook for Scenery Management,USDA Forest Service, 1995)

History of Scenery Management

You might think that scenery is too subjective to manage (e.g., “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”). However, scenery management on National Forest System lands is a logical and orderly system based on research, which consistently shows that people need and appreciate natural-appearing landscapes, and dislike changes that contrast with or are out of character with these landscapes.

The Forest Service has been managing scenic resources since 1974, when the Visual Resource Management System was published. In the early 1980s, the Coronado National Forest was mapped using this system, and “Visual Quality Objectives” were established in the 1986 Forest Plan. Over the following years the Forest Service developed a new system, guided by 20 years of experience with the old system, substantial advances in research and technology and a significant increase in demand for high-quality scenery. The SMS was unveiled in the mid 1990s.

The new SMS system is better for many reasons:
• It acknowledges that landscapes are dynamic and ecological changes such as natural wildfire are part of the picture.
• It incorporates positive cultural features such as historic sites.
• It allows for new information and technology, such as computer mapping, to be utilized.
• It encourages Forests to update scenic resource inventories.
• It provides an opportunity to gather additional public input (see bottom of page).

 

The Coronado’s Scenic Resource Inventory

The first step in SMS is to describe the valued landscape character. Southeastern Arizona's sky island landscape has broad desert plains and massive mountain ranges. Where the two meet, there are often rolling grasslands, wooded foothills, and deeply-carved canyons. Mountaintops often host conifer forests, unique rock formations, streams, and meadows. Visitors traveling into these “sky island” mountains encounter biological diversity similar to a trip from Mexico to Canada. And there are many recreation areas and historic sites to enjoy.

If you'd like to see the full landscape character description, click on the link below

Sky Island Landscape Character type

The next part of the SMS inventory is the mapping of “Scenic Classes,” which show the relative importance of scenery. Scenic Classes are determined from a combination of the uniqueness of lands (called Scenic Attractiveness) and who is viewing those lands (called Concern Levels). For example, pine-clad mountaintops are extremely unique in southern Arizona, and most hikers visit the forest primarily for the beautiful scenery, so areas where trails pass through pine forests would be mapped as a high Scenic Class. Other lands, such as flat deserts that few people see are rated lower. There are 7 Scenic Classes, with 1 being the highest and 7 being the lowest.

Because the Coronado National Forest lands are some of the most unique in southeastern Arizona, and because they are so visible, it’s no surpise that the forest has a high percentage of higher Scenic Classes.

Click on the following links to see maps:

• Scenic Attractiveness (the uniqueness of lands)
• Concern Levels (travelways and viewpoints sensitive to changes)
• Scenic Classes (the relative importance of scenery)

Ongoing Mapping

Mapping the existing condition, called the “Existing Scenic Integrity,” is underway and should be completed by Fall 2004. On the Coronado, some of the largest impacts to scenery include utilities, mining, astrophysical sites, effects of illegal immigrants from Mexico and border patrol activities, and off-road vehicle damage.

What’s Next?

The Coronado plans to use the SMS inventory for the following:
1. Establishing Scenic Integrity Objectives, which provide
    National Forest managers guidance for maintaining,
    restoring, and enhancing scenic resources.
2. Project-level analyses when new uses or facilities are
     proposed.
3. Monitoring scenic resources through time.

We’d like your opinion!

Please tell us how you feel about scenic resources on the Coronado National Forest. What do you like? What do you dislike? Your input will be especially important as we prepare for the revision of our Forest Plan.

You can email us (please enter "Scenery" on the Subject line).

Or you can send a letter to:

Forest Supervisor
Coronado National Forest
300 W. Congress
Tucson, AZ 85701

Coronado National Forest
This Page was Updated  Monday, 25 February 2008 at 19:14:51 EST