Prescribed Fires planned on Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests in the Fall

Fire managers and district rangers on the Apache- Sitgreaves National Forests are looking for appropriate conditions to continue to conduct prescribed fires during the Fall months. The timing for our Fall prescribed fires to be safely implemented is September through December.

Crews are assessing current weather conditions to make determinations on whether they are appropriate for prescribed fire activity. Individual news releases for each prescribed fire will be distributed in advance, and as fire managers and district rangers narrow down the date for ignitions for each prescribed fire based upon onsite conditions. 

The list of potential projects follows:

Alpine Ranger District

• Wallow West 6B-C RX (3,728 acres) – 5 miles south of Big Lake
• Loco Knoll RX (3,300 acres) – 6 miles east of Nutrioso

Black Mesa Ranger District

• Brookbank RX (3,647 acres) – 10 miles west of Heber-Overgaard, north side of Hwy 260
• Rim Top RX (1,286 acres) – south side of Wood Canyon Lake
• Point RX (814 acres) – 1 mile northwest of Forest Lakes
• Sinkhole RX (875 acres) – south side of Willow Springs Lake, north side of Hwy 260
• Dutch RX (1,301 acres) – 6 miles west of Chevelon Canyon Lake, south and east side of Dutch Joe Ranch

Clifton Ranger District

• EEMS Phase 1 Block A RX (2,506 acres) – 8 miles southwest of Blue Vista Overlook

Lakeside Ranger District

• Bear RX (973 acres) – 2 miles south of Pinedale
• 260 RX (696 acres) – 1 mile west of Linden, south side of Hwy 260
• Ortega RX (1,773 acres) – 1 mile southwest of Vernon
• Doyle RX (290 acres) - 1 mile southwest of Vernon
• Brown Creek RX (1,725 acres) – 3 miles southwest of Vernon

Springerville Ranger District

• Wallow West 6A RX (3,951 acres) – west of Big Lake
• Wallow West 6B RX (3,139 acres) – 2 miles southwest of Big Lake
• Atascacita RX (1,662 acres) – 4 miles north of Green Peak

Escalating wildfire danger is threatening millions of acres and numerous communities across the United States. To address this problem, the 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy was initiated in 2022 to treat up to an additional 20 million acres of National Forest System lands and an additional 30 million acres of other federal, state, tribal, and private lands. Two of the initial Wildfire Crisis Strategy landscapes, the San Carlos Apache Tribal Forest Protection Act and the Four Forest Restoration Initiative, are on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. Our land management strategy is centered on long-term forest health, including reducing forest fuels and using prescribed fire on the landscape.

All prescribed fires planned and implemented on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests will incorporate the guidance in the Forest Service Chief’s National Prescribed Fire Program Review, including using the most recent science and modeling, ensuring contingency resources are more readily available, integrating drought monitoring, increasing patrols, and completing a daily go/ no-go evaluation of conditions. A final decision on whether to proceed with a specific prescribed fire will depend on agency administrator approval, resource availability, fuel moisture levels, air quality and forecast weather. Prescribed fires are designed to meet specific objectives and are always managed with firefighter and public safety as the priority.

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.

Air quality information is available at www.airnow.gov/

Further information will be provided as it becomes available. Visit the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests website at www.fs.usda.gov/asnf, and follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/apachesitgreavesnfs