Snowmelt on the Salt-Verde River Basin in Arizona yields a major portion (possibly 50% or more) of the annual surface runoff that supplies six reservoirs. These reservoirs provide municipal, industrial, and agricultural water for the Phoenix metropolitan and nearby areas. About 30% of the Basin (2-1/2 million acres) is within the ponderosa pine forest zone, where much of the snowmelt runoff originates. Therefore, initial work in the development of forest management guidelines for increasing snowpack water yields is concentrated in this zone. Guidelines, to be effective, must be developed in a context that considers the constraints imposed by management objectives involving other products and uses (such as timber, forage, wildlife, and recreation opportunities).