Fire managers on the Williams and Tusayan Ranger District are planning to kick off the fall prescribed fire season this week, starting with the Kendrick Prescribed Fire Project. 3712 acres are planned for treatments that will begin just southeast of Spring Valley, east of FR141, north of FR100, and south of FR786. Pending favorable conditions, crews anticipate beginning ignitions on Wednesday morning October 4. This operation is expected to be completed in 3 days.
Area residents and visitors can expect to see and hear a helicopter in the area, as aerial ignitions will occur on portions of the burn. Aerial-drone systems should not be used near the active project area, as they could interfere with aircraft operations. Approximately 50 personnel will be assigned to this fire, including an Incident Meteorologist who will advise fire managers on current and predicted weather.
No road or trail closures are planned as part of the Kendrick prescribed fire project, however during operations fire personnel and vehicles will be visible to the public. Motorists are reminded to use caution and drive with heightened awareness when passing through active project areas.
Daytime winds are forecasted to carry smoke west. Smoke may impact the community of Parks as well as Red Lake and residential areas along FR141 out to RT 64. Some smoke may reach Pumpkin Center on the west side of Kendrick Mountain. It will likely be visible from Spring Valley, Parks, Williams, and from Highway 180, State Route 64, and Interstate-40. Residual smoke may settle into drainages and low-lying areas overnight but will lift and ventilate shortly after sunrise. Fire managers will continue to coordinate closely with partners and communities within and adjacent to the Kaibab National Forest to minimize impacts as much as possible.
On Saturday this week crews will move to the Tusayan Ranger District to initiate treatments on the Blue Stem Rx Project. This project is located approximately 15 miles southeast of Tusayan. The goal is to burn approximately 3500 acres over the weekend before moving south of Williams to the Pine Flat Rx Project where managers are hopeful to treat an additional 5000 acres in the Round Mountain area.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. As with all scheduled burns, actual ignitions only take place when conditions are within the parameters of the prescription and meet the objectives of the burn plan. Advanced notices including additional maps will be forthcoming for selected dates of scheduled treatments on individual projects.
Fire managers recognize that community members may be sensitive to smoke, and use strategies to limit the amount and duration. This includes dividing large projects into smaller units so that crews can focus efforts where and when conditions will help smoke disperse away from developed areas and ventilate quicker, reducing the impacts to local residents and businesses. Prescribed fires with shorter-term impacts to air quality help significantly reduce the risks to public health and safety.
Goals of prescribed fire treatments include decreasing the threat of unnatural severe wildfire and potential negative consequences to the community, improving forest health, and reintroducing fire to an ecosystem that relies on frequent fire to maintain resilience. 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. Our land management strategy is centered on long-term forest health, including reducing forest fuels and using prescribed fire on the landscape. 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.
All prescribed fires are 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. To learn more about smoke and public health, visit bit.ly/SmokeHealthAwareness.
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.
Additional information can be found on the Kaibab NF website, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, or by calling the Fire Information Recorded Hotline at 928-635-8311 or local ranger stations.