Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests fire managers remain focused on applying prescribed fire to the landscape to reduce hazardous fuels and improve forest health as the conditions allow. This week managers postponed the Mud Springs prescribed fire, slated for Wednesday, Oct. 25, due to conditions that were outside the burn plan prescription. Mud Springs could begin next week.
In the meantime, fire managers plan to begin the Little Prescribed Fire on the Alpine Ranger District starting October 29. The project area involves 2,445 acres and is 1 mile east of Alpine, north of Luna Lake. Project boundaries are east of County Rd. 2117 (Forest Service Rd. 275) south and west of Little Creek, north of Luna Lake campground. Smoke could impact Highway 180 and the town of Alpine. Please check https://www.airnow.gov for air quality information.
Over the past few weeks, fire crews have accomplished 8,765 acres of hazardous fuels reduction across the forest. We understand smoke is impacting our communities as fire crews continue to implement prescribed fires through the fall and winter months. These landscape fuels treatments are in support of the Forest Service's 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy (WCS), which aims to increase the use of fire and other treatments on the landscape to improve forest health and protect communities. To meet the goals of the WCS, it is going to require implementing prescribed fire and other fuels treatments during all advantageous environmental conditions. The trade-off is to experience short-term smoke conditions from prescribed fires versus heavier smoke over a longer duration from unwanted high-severity wildfires. The long-term intent is to reduce smoke impacts and fire intensity if a future wildfire starts in this project area.
Crews are currently assessing weather and fuel conditions to determine whether they are within the criteria outlined in the prescribed burn plans. The project will be canceled if fuel moisture, temperature, wind, or humidity are not within the burn plan prescription. Multi-day prescribed fire operations require a daily assessment of conditions and line officer approval before operations can continue.
Prescribed fires are an effective tool for restoring fire-dependent ecosystems and reducing the risk of high-severity wildfires. Fire managers use prescribed fire to improve forest health, remove hazardous fuels, increase firefighter safety, enhance wildlife habitat, and protect communities and watersheds.
Visit the A-S National Forests website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/asnf and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/apachesitgreavesnfs.