Fire managers on the North Kaibab Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest are planning to begin the Road Hollow North and South prescribed fires this week as conditions allow, located along Forest Roads 22, 203/203A, 415, and 425 west of the Demotte Campground and north of the Rainbow Rim.
Crews plan to begin ignitions Wednesday, June 14, burning up to 4,020 acres on both burn units over the course of the next few days. Smoke may be visible from State Routes 67 and 89A, Demotte Campground, the Jacob Lake area,the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, and the towns of Fredonia, AZ, and Kanab, UT. Daytime winds should carry smoke northeast. Residual smoke will settle into drainages and low-lying areas around the Kaibab Plateau and House Rock Valley overnight.
Other projects planned for this spring are as follows:
Exact ignition dates are unknown as burning is dependent upon daily agency administrator approval and conditions within the ranges outlined in each prescribed fire plan. However, we are committed to providing the public with ongoing updates and 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.
We recognize that smoke can impact residents, visitors, and our fire personnel. We will continue to coordinate closely with our partners and communities to minimize smoke impacts as much as possible. All prescribed fires on the Kaibab National Forest are subject to Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. The department’s Air Quality Division: Smoke Management webpage provides details about its air quality program.
Information can be found on the Kaibab NF website, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, or by calling the local ranger stations.