Flagstaff Prescribed Burns
Flagstaff prescribed burns are conducted each fall, winter, and early spring. These seasons provide conditions suitable for conducting small prescribed burns. Wind, humidity and other factors must be within acceptable tolerances for the Forest Service to conduct a specific prescribed burn. Each of the prescribed burns is planned and scheduled in advance... and a specific prescribed burn may be delayed because conditions change. Crews conduct the burns with an emphasis on safety and control. Crews are on-scene before, during, and after each burn is conducted. Reducing the fuel available to a wildfire and protecting our communities and forests are worth the occasional smoky (and sometimes stinky) conditions.
~~~~~~ Ignition Permissions
The public can obtain prescribed fire information via the
following: Local Ranger Stations: Peaks Ranger District (Flagstaff), 928-526-0866; Red Rock Ranger District (Sedona) 928-203-2900; Mogollon Rim Ranger District (Blue Ridge) 928-477-2255. The Coconino County Health Department provides information about smoke concerns and offers suggestions for minimizing smoke impacts to your family and home.
As a reminder, when fire managers are
deciding whether to suppress a wildland fire, manage it for resource benefits,
or even to begin ignition on a prescribed fire project, they consider conditions
such as location, weather, and potential size, behavior, and direction. Conditions
may warrant suppression strategies in some locations while conditions in other
areas are suitable for prescribed fire ignition. ~~~~~~
Prescribed Burns for September, 2010
~~~~~ ~~~~~
August 20, 2010
Kaibab National Forest Community Meeting
Williams, AZ – The Williams Ranger District will host a community meeting to discuss prescribed burning planned this fall for areas near Sherwood Forest Estates and in Pitman Valley. The meeting will be held at the Sherwood Forest Estates Fire Department Station Friday, August 27 at 6:00 p.m. Forest officials will present information and answer questions about the Frenchy Prescribed Burn project which is located about nine miles east of Williams. Community members are encouraged to attend. For more information, please call Punky Moore, Fire Information Officer at 928-635-5653.
~~~~~ ~~~~~ September 2, 2010
Coconino National Forest Tentative Prescribed Fire Plans for the Week of September 6
Flagstaff, AZ – Pending favorable conditions,
fire specialists on the Coconino National Forest plan to conduct
prescribed burns at two different project areas the week of September 6.
No prescribed burns are planned for Monday, Labor Day. ~~~~~ ~~~~~ September 2, 2010
Coconino National Forest Coconino National Forest Plans Fall and Winter Prescribed Burning Flagstaff, AZ – Coconino National Forest fire managers are preparing to continue prescribed burning as fall and winter conditions provide opportunities for applying low-intensity fire to the landscape. Approximately 34,000 acres of prescribed fire treatments are planned across the forest. Acreages may not all be accomplished depending on how often and how long conditions are suitable. The chart below lists the areas and project names planned for this fall and winter. These planned burns are part of an ongoing program to improve forest health and reduce hazardous fuels in northern Arizona. Members of the Ponderosa Fire Advisory Council (PFAC) – comprised of federal, state, and local fire management agencies in the Flagstaff area – continue to collaborate not only on wildfires, but also on fuels treatment projects. PFAC partners coordinate individual prescribed burn times and locations to reduce local smoke impacts, and team-up on thinning and burning projects to allow for more work to be accomplished in a shorter amount of time. The forest depends on low-intensity fire to reduce accumulated vegetation, enhance wildlife habitat, and recycle valuable nutrients into the soil. “Fire is natural and necessary, and will occur,” said Vic Morfin, Coconino National Forest Fuels Management Officer. “While prescribed burning will not eliminate the chances of wildfires, it reduces the likelihood of extreme behavior during an unplanned fire, creating a safer situation for the community and our firefighters.” To accomplish these forest health goals, forest managers use two types of prescribed burns: Broadcast burns involve applying fire across the forest floor. Small flames make their way along the surface consuming logs, branches, and accumulated leaves and needles while recycling nutrients back into the soil. Broadcast burns typically produce the most noticeable smoke. Pile burns require more moisture in the surrounding vegetation and are usually conducted when snow is on the ground or after considerable rain. Piles consist of the slash from forest thinning projects, which includes small logs and branches. Pile burning usually produces less smoke than broadcast burns. Prescribed burns are termed such because they are conducted within a “prescription” that defines the fuel moisture levels, air temperatures, wind conditions, and relative humidity levels that are appropriate. All prescribed fire activity is dependent on personnel availability, weather – including ventilation conditions, and approval from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ). Fire managers continue to work closely with ADEQ, PFAC partners, as well as neighboring forests to monitor air quality and minimize smoke impacts to the community. “We strive to minimize smoke impacts to our communities,” said Morfin. “But smoke is inevitable. We encourage folks to learn where, when, and how prescribed burns are conducted so they can be better prepared to handle any impacts.” Regular news releases will be distributed to local media with planned prescribed fire activity. The public can also obtain information via the following: Prescribed Fire Hotline: 928-226-4607 Coconino National Forest Website: www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino o Click on the Prescribed Fire Link to the right of the page Sign-up to receive regular email notifications: http://www.fs.fed.us/news/subscription o Choose “Southwestern Region” Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CoconinoNF_Fire Local Ranger Stations: Peaks Ranger District (Flagstaff), 928-526-0866; Red Rock Ranger District (Sedona) 928-203-2900; Mogollon Rim Ranger District (Blue Ridge) 928-477-2255 Peaks and Mormon Lake Districts
Mogollon Rim Ranger District
Red Rock District
On December 2, 2005, the Forest Service issued the press release text shown here...
Flagstaff Prescribed Burns information is available from the Forest Service. You can even sign up for direct e-mail notifications, or... This Flagstaff Prescribed Burns page will be published via RSS feed each time it gets updated. You may subscribe to my Rss feed using the buttons on the home page.
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