Flagstaff AZ (December 9, 2011) – Fire managers on the Coconino National Forest plan to continue prescribed pile burns today, Friday December 9. In addition to the Mint Project south of Mormon Lake, crews will burn on either the Eastside project off Herold Ranch Road or the Woody Ridge Project west of Flagstaff, depending on conditions.
Mint Project: 150 acres located south of Mormon Lake Village, west of Forest Highway 3 (Lake Mary Road). will move to the southwest, however, some residual smoke will likely settle around the Village of Mormon Lake and FH3 overnight.
Eastside Project: Approximately 50 acres of piles located south of Flagstaff and the Little America Hotel, off Herold Ranch Road. During the day, smoke will be noticeable from Flagstaff and will disperse to southwest with the forecast winds. Some residual smoke may be noticeable in the Forestdale area overnight.
Woody Ridge Project: 100 acres of piles located west of Highway 89A, approximately 2 miles northeast of Oak Creek Vista, off Forest Road 535. Smoke will disperse to the southwest and may also be noticeable in Oak Creek Canyon.
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.usda.gov/coconino
- Click on the Prescribed Fire icon to the right of the page
- Sign-up for regular email notifications of planned burns: http://www.fs.fed.us/news/subscription
- 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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