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U.S. Forest Service
News Release
Media Contact: Brady Smith
Fire managers planning pile burns next week Flagstaff, Ariz., Nov. 6, 2015, For Immediate Release —
Fire managers plan to burn slash piles next week that were previously planned in late October but were cancelled due to wet weather. All of the burns are dependent upon weather conditions, personnel availability and forest conditions
and can be cancelled and rescheduled for a later time.
Eastside Piles: 20 acres total; this consists of burns in
two separate locations, with the first being near Schultz Creek Trailhead north of Flagstaff near Schultz Pass. The other location is near Fatmans Loop Trail, east of Flagstaff and south of Mt. Elden. These burns are planned for Monday and Tuesday (Nov. 9-10)
and will produce noticeable smoke to those in Flagstaff. Anyone recreating in the area of Schultz Creek Trail and Fatmans Loop will likely be impacted by smoke, which should disperse to the north/northeast.
Mountainaire Piles: 1,200 acres; located just south of the
community of Mountainaire, east of Interstate 17. This burn is planned throughout next week as piles will be burned each day in approximately 50 to 100 acre sections and will produce noticeable smoke to those in and around Mountainaire.
NOTE: Due to favorable weather conditions, this burn will also take place today for 200 acres.
Woody Ridge Piles: 600 acres; located approximately four
miles west of Flagstaff, north of Interstate 40. This burn is planned throughout next week as piles will be burned each day in approximately 50 to 100 acre sections will produce noticeable smoke to those in Flagstaff and travelers in that area along Interstate
40.
Misc Piles: 10 acres; located near the Mogollon Rim approximately
seven miles east of Clints Well and four miles south of Blue Ridge Reservoir. This burn is planned for some time next week if conditions allow. Little impact to any communities, but hunters in the area of the immediate burn may notice smoke as it disperses
to the north. 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 burn when winds and other atmospheric conditions will push the majority of smoke away from homes; they’ll
burn larger sections at a time to ultimately limit the number of days smoke is in the air; and they work closely with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, 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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