Tonto National Forest

Tonto National Forest fire officials are preparing to burn three piles on the Tonto Basin Ranger District, Monday, Jan. 30, 2023.

Fire specialists plan to move forward with burning three separate slash piles that were cancelled earlier this month. The three sites include: the Indian Point Community Green Waste site, Burnt Corral Campground (FS 49 Road and State Route 88) and the Crabtree Wash Pit near the Apache Lake Marina. Pile burns range from 1 acre to a quarter of an acre in size.

Tonto National Forest fire officials are planning to burn pits near Pine and the Payson Helibase, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023.

The Pine pit is located southeast of the community of Pine, east of State Route 87 and south of Forest Road 64. Pits near the Helibase are located east of Payson off State Route 260. 

Fire specialists will be burning pits containing brush and woody material gathered from the surrounding areas. Clearing these dry fuels from the forest floor to burn, reduces the risk of wildfires to communities and creates a fire resilient landscape.

Tonto Basin fire personnel are planning fuel reduction operations beginning Dec. 13-22, 2022.

These operations include burning piles at a Forest Service administrative site and at the community green waste piles near the Punkin Center. In addition, crews will be burning the 83 pit south of the Tonto Monument. The total burn size is 2 acres and includes three pit sites and three slash piles.

Tonto Basin fire personnel are planning two separate fuel reduction operations, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022.

The two operations include burning community green waste piles near the Punkin Center and burning the 83 pit south of the Tonto Monument. The total burn size of the 83 pit is 2 acres and includes three pit sites and three slash piles.

Fire officials on the Payson Ranger District are preparing for prescribed fire operations to burn debris piles near Christopher Creek Campground beginning Tuesday, Dec. 6-10, 2022. 

The purpose of this 107-acre prescribed fire is to reduce the risk of destructive wildfires to surrounding communities, ranches and critical infrastructure. Additionally, prescribed fires restore natural ecological systems and landscapes, and develop and foster sustainable forest conditions for wildlife habitat and watersheds.

Fire officials on the Globe Ranger District are preparing for a prescribed burn near the Timber Camp Campground on the Globe Ranger District beginning Wednesday, Nov. 16-18, 2022.

The purpose of this 290-acre burn along Ash Creek is to reintroduce fire into the ponderosa pine stands to help protect them from the negative impacts of uncharacteristically intense wildfire. The management action of introducing fire helps move the area towards the desired conditions by allowing for watershed protection, wildlife habitat improvement and the improvement of ecosystem function.

Update 11/15/2022:  Prescribed burn cancelled due to unfavorable weather conditions

Original: Fire specialists on the Tonto National Forest are preparing for prescribed burn operations south of Forest Road 512 near Gruwell Canyon on the Pleasant Valley Ranger District beginning Wednesday, Nov. 16-18, 2022.

Tonto National Forest fire officials are planning prescribed burns near State Route 260 on the Payson Ranger District beginning Tuesday, November 1-3, 2022.

Fire specialist plan to burn 17.5 acres of vegetation and grass resulting from mastication treatments as well as three acres of piled slash. Mastication uses mechanical equipment to grind up trees and vegetation into small pieces to reduce overcrowding and fuel loading on the forest.

In coordination with federal, state and local partners, the Tonto National Forest will terminate the current Stage 1 Fire and Recreational Target Shooting Restrictions effective July 22, 2022, at 8 a.m.

The decision to lift restrictions was based on increased monsoonal weather that lowered the fire danger across the forest. Fire restrictions are implemented to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires during periods of extreme fire danger and elevated fire weather conditions.