January 31, 2019 5:45 p.m.
WILLIAMS, Ariz. – Fuels reduction efforts on the Williams Ranger District of Kaibab National Forest will begin Feb.1 and continue into next week as weather conditions permit.
Machine piles on two separate timber sale units on the district have been evaluated and are suitable for ignition at this time.
Three hundred and eighty-three acres of piles in the Wright Timber Sale area located north of Parks on the south side of Government Hill will be ignited Feb. 1, an additional 200 acres will be burned Feb. 4 on the Shiner Timber Sale project located just southwest of Dogtown Lake along Forest Road 140.
Fuels specialists will continue to assess conditions in the weeks ahead and plan to continue implementing prescribed fire activities as opportunities arise.
Crews will use tactics to minimize smoke production and reduce the potential for impacts to the surrounding roadways and adjacent communities.
During ignition operations, smoke will be visible from areas surrounding these units but is expected to be light in volume and short in duration.
These pile burns are just a couple of many ongoing forest restoration projects happening that are critical to improving forest health and increasing vital protection of forest resources and community values.
As with all prescribed burns, weather conditions will determine the day’s most suitable for ignitions that have the least amount of negative effects on air quality and the best possible ventilation.
The public can view approved prescribed fires for any given day on the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality’s website at smoke.azdeq.gov/.
Information provided by Kaibab National Forest and your Sherwood Forest Estates Fire District