Flagstaff, AZ (November 7, 2011) – Fire managers on the Coconino National Forest will be taking advantage of the snow to conduct prescribed pile burns across the forest this week. Today, crews plan to burn piles south of Little America as well as miscellaneous piles near Knoll Lake, south of the community of Blue Ridge.
Eastside Project: Up to 100 acres of piles located south of Flagstaff and the Little America Hotel, off Harold Ranch Rd. Smoke will disperse to the north east, and will likely be noticeable in the community off Harold Ranch Rd, though it should be lighter. Crews will burn in increments of 50 acres.
Miscellaneous Piles: Approximately 20 acres of piles located 10-15 miles south of the community of Blue Ridge, near Knoll Lake. Smoke will be light and disperse to the north.
For the remainder of the week, fire managers will consider various locations for pile burning including the Harold Ranch Road area again; Elden Pueblo area northeast of Flagstaff off Hwy 89; and the Kelly Canyon area south of Kachina Village, east of I-17.
Prescribed fire activity is dependent on personnel availability, weather – including winds and ventilation, and approval from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (www.azdeq.gov).
Fire managers make every effort to minimize smoke impacts to the communities while continuing to address the critical need to reduce the risk of severe wildfires around those communities. Tactics to keep smoke impacts as minimal as possible include cancelling burns when conditions aren’t favorable, finding alternative uses for the debris in slash piles, timing ignitions to allow the majority of smoke time to disperse prior to settling overnight, and burning larger sections at a time when conditions are favorable to reduce the overall number of days smoke is in the area.
In addition, the Coconino National Forest coordinates prescribed fire plans with the partners of the Ponderosa Fire Advisory Council (which includes local fire departments), as well as neighboring forests, to reduce the impact of smoke on the communities.
The public can obtain additional prescribed fire information via the following:
- Prescribed Fire Hotline: 928-226-4607
- Coconino National Forest Website: www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino
- Click on the Prescribed Fire icon to the right of the page
- Sign-up for regular email notifications of planned burns:
- Choose “Southwestern Region”
- Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CoconinoNF
- Local Ranger Stations: Flagstaff Ranger District, 928-526-0866; Red Rock Ranger District (Sedona) 928-203-2900; Mogollon Rim Ranger District (Blue Ridge) 928-477-2255
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