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U.S. Forest Service
News Release
Media Contact: Brady Smith
Fire managers to conduct FWPP pile burns this week near Flagstaff
Flagstaff, Ariz., Oct. 27, 2015, For Immediate Release —
Fire managers plan to burn slash piles this week north of Flagstaff near Schultz Creek trailhead starting tomorrow through Friday.
The piles fall within the boundary of the Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project (FWPP) and were cut within the last two years as part of the treatments previously approved in
this project area. FWPP is a collaborative effort with the city of Flagstaff and state of Arizona to reduce the risk of watershed impacts associated with wildfire. More information about FWPP can be found online at
http://www.flagstaffwatershedprotection.org/.
Moderate smoke impacts during ignitions are expected in the immediate area, as only about five acres of piles will be burned on Wednesday and fire managers will check conditions
for further burning through the rest of the week. Smoke will be visible to Flagstaff residents and especially to those living near the intersection of Highway 180 and Schultz Pass Road. Smoke is expected to disperse toward the northeast and will impact the
Schultz Pass area.
All prescribed fires and burns are dependent on the availability of crew members and equipment, weather and ventilation conditions, and approval from the Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality (www.azdeq.gov)
Prescribed fires are essential tools for restoring the forests in our fire-adapted ecosystem, and smoke is an unavoidable byproduct of these vital efforts. Fire managers strive
to minimize smoke impacts to the community as much as possible. They try to burn when winds and other atmospheric conditions will push the majority of smoke away from homes; utilize slash in other ways as much as possible such as filler layer at the landfill;
and they work closely with ADEQ, partners in the Ponderosa Fire Advisory Council, as well as neighboring forests to monitor air quality.
Notifications of upcoming prescribed burns are provided regularly throughout the season. The public can find this information online through several resources:
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Inciweb:
http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/unit/303/
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Twitter:
www.twitter.com/CoconinoNF
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Coconino website:
www.coconinonationalforest.us,
(Under News and Events)
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Attachment:
FWPP Pile Burn Map.jpg
Description: FWPP Pile Burn Map.jpg
