Prescribed fire planned in the Goldwater Lake/Bean Peaks Trail System area November 1 - 7
Fire managers on the Prescott National Forest plan to conduct prescribed burning in the Prescott Basin on the Bradshaw Ranger District south of Prescott, Arizona. Ignitions are planned to start Friday, November 1, and continue into early next week depending on weather conditions and resource availability.
The Goldwater RX is located east of Highway 89 and Ponderosa Park Road; west of School House Gulch Road; north of Marapai Road; and west of Goldwater Lake. Resources will remain on scene to monitor and patrol in the days following the prescribed burn.
Trails in the Bean Peaks area will be closed during prescribed fire operations including: Green Bean #0007, Magic Bean #0015, Spicy Bean #0017, Baked Bean #0015, Beany Baby #0018, Mr. Bean #0007, Bean Sprout #0019, Rice and Beans #0018, Limey Bean #0023, Jelly Bean #0025, and Ponderosa Trail #0382.
We would like to thank the community for its patience and understanding as we work to treat hazardous fuels and restore resilient landscapes. Prescribed fires in the wildland-urban interface also help create buffer zones where we have a higher probability of safely stopping future unwanted wildfires.
Expect smoke impacts to be light and visible from multiple locations including Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, and surrounding area communities. As nighttime temperatures cool, smoke can linger in drainages and valleys. All prescribed fire activity is dependent on the availability of personnel and equipment, weather, fuels, conditions that minimize smoke impacts as much as possible, 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.
Prescott National Forest’s land management strategy is centered on long-term forest health and includes reducing forest fuels and using prescribed fire on the landscape. Low to moderate fire behavior can reduce hazardous fuels in the and increase ecosystem and community resilience. A variety of ground and aerial resources are being used to meet the project objectives. The project also furthers the goals of the Forest Service’s national Wildfire Crisis Strategy to restore forests so they are less vulnerable to extreme wildfires that can threaten lives and property; and negatively impact watersheds and wildlife habitat.
For fire information please call the Bradshaw Ranger District at 928-443-8000 during regular office hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30 - 12:00 & 12:30 - 4:00. Stay up to date on Prescott National Forest news by checking the Prescott NF website and following us on Facebook and Twitter.
