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Upper Gila Mountains Recovery Unit

The Upper Gila Mountains RU is based on the Upper Gila Mountain Forest Province (Bailey 1980). Williams (1986) refers to this area as the Datil-Mogollon Section, part of a physiographic subdivision transitional between the Basin and Range and Colorado Plateau Provinces. This complex area consists of steep mountains and deep entrenched river drainages dissecting high plateaus. The Mogollon Rim, a prominent fault scarp, bisects the unit.

Mexican spotted owls are widely distributed and use a variety of habitats within the Upper Gila Mountains RU. Owls are most common in mixed-conifer forests dominated by Douglas-fir and/or white fir and canyons with varying degrees of forest cover (Ganey and Balda 1989a). Owls also occur in ponderosa pine-Gambel oak forest, where they are typically found in stands containing well-developed understories of Gambel oak.

The greatest concentration of the known Mexican spotted owl population occurs within this RU, and most known owl locations occur on FS and Tribal lands (see Distribution and Abundance). Many spotted owls are found within Wilderness Areas in this RU with the Gila Wilderness supporting the largest known population. The major land use within this RU is timber cutting. All of the National Forests as well as the Fort Apache and San Carlos Indian Reservations have active timber management programs. Fuelwood harvest, including both personal use and commercial harvest, also occurs across much of this unit. Livestock grazing is ubiquitous on FS lands and widespread over large portions of the Fort Apache and San Carlos Indian Reservations. In addition, recreational activities such as hiking, camping, and hunting attract many people to this RU.