Fire managers on the Prescott National Forest plan to conduct prescribed fire operations, primarily pile burning, on Big Bug Mesa on the Bradshaw Ranger District. These machine and hand piles are from recent hazardous fuels reduction and thinning projects. Pending all required approvals, ignitions could begin as early as Thursday, Jan. 15, and continue throughout the winter months as prescribed burning conditions remain favorable.
Recent and ongoing rainfall events have provided favorable conditions to allow for pile burning in numerous areas across the forest.
Expect smoke impacts to be light and visible from multiple locations including Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Dewey-Humboldt and surrounding areas. As nighttime temperatures cool, smoke may linger in drainages and valleys. Go to https://fire.airnow.gov/ to find more detailed information about air quality.
Prescott National Forest’s land management strategy is centered on long-term forest health and reducing forest fuels. Prescribed fire with low to moderate fire behavior can reduce hazardous fuels and increase forest and community resilience. In the wildland-urban interface, prescribed fire reduces the risk of wildfire to communities through hazardous fuels reduction which helps create buffer zones where we have a higher probability of safely stopping future unwanted wildfires.
All prescribed fire activity is dependent on the availability of personnel and equipment, weather, fuels, and approval from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (www.azdeq.gov). In the interest of safety, forest visitors are reminded to obey all traffic signs and use caution when traveling in the vicinity of prescribed burns as firefighters and fire-related traffic will be in the area.
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