Fire crews successfully burned 1657 acres Monday and Tuesday on the Marteen Rx project and will now hold and patrol over the next few days securing the active perimeter. Operations will move north to the Russell and Blue Stem Rx projects on Thursday and Friday, located approximate 15 miles southeast of Tusayan.
Smoke from the Marteen burn may continue to be visible from surrounding areas including Valle, State Route 64, and Highway 180. Some residual smoke is expected to settle locally into drainages and low-lying areas overnight but is not expected to impact roadways or developments.
Approximately 4400 acres are scheduled for broadcast burning on the Russell and Blue Stem project’s beginning Thursday and may continue through Saturday before anticipated moisture arrives early next week. Operations may pause temporarily as a storm front passes over northern Arizona, and will potentially resume when conditions improve.
Fire Managers intentionally move crews across a wide landscape of the forest treating partial units at each project area in order to minimize high volumes of smoke being produced at any one location. This strategy also helps move smoke away faster while working towards achieving target goals and meeting land management objectives.
Exact ignition dates and specific locations are subject change as burning is dependent upon daily conditions that meet specific environmental parameters. All prescribed fires are also subject to approval by an agency administrator, and by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. The department’s Air Quality Division: Smoke Management webpage provides details about its air quality program.
The Kaibab National Forest remains committed to providing the public with ongoing updates with as much advance notice as possible. Sign up to receive Kaibab NF news releases in your email.
Our land management strategy is centered on long-term forest health, including reducing forest fuels and using prescribed fire on the landscape. Prescribed fires help reduce hazardous fuels that have accumulated due to drought, climate change, insects and disease, and decades of fire suppression. Fire also recycles nutrients back to the soil, promotes the growth of trees, wildflowers, and other plants, and improves habitat for threatened and endangered species. These efforts align with the Forest Service’s 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy which aims to increase prescribed fire and other treatments to improve forest resiliency for generations to come.
Additional information can be found on the Kaibab NF website, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, or by calling the Fire Information Hotline at 928-635-8311 or contacting local ranger stations.