Forest Service plans pit burns near Payson to continue hazardous fuels reduction

Tonto National Forest firefighters are planning five “pit burns” on the Payson Ranger District beginning in November and continuing through March 2025 as weather and related conditions permit.

The Payson Pits prescribed fire project will remove assorted woody fuels resulting from clearing projects on federal and private lands. The Tonto’s Facebook and ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) social media pages will post specific start dates and projected end times for each prescribed fire.

Each pit is approximately two acres and includes debris from National Forest System lands, area cooperators and local property owners. Fire specialists will oversee burning at the following locations:

• Chase Pit, located 11 miles north of Payson, Arizona.
• Conner Pit, located 20 miles south of Young, Arizona, on the Globe-Young Highway near mile marker 281.
• Gisela Pit, located one mile north of Gisela, Arizona.
• Pleasant Valley Pit, located two miles south of Young, Arizona, on the Globe-Young Highway near mile marker 304.
• Ponderosa Pit, located 12 miles east of Payson on State Route 260 at mile marker 265.

For additional information about the above projects, contact the Payson Ranger Station located at 1009 E. Highway 260, Payson, Arizona. Or phone the station at (928) 474-7900 Monday – Friday between 8 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. and from 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.