Springerville, AZ- October 15, 2019 – The Springerville Ranger District on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests is plans to conduct a 12,000 acre prescribed fire operation on Wallow West 1B, late October to early November 2019 in the Wallow West Prescribed area 1B; Township ,6N, Range 28 East. Ignition will be dependent on the weather.
The Springerville Ranger District will be burning Tuesday on the Wallow west project and plan to burn up to 8,000 acres by Thursday. Once that area is complete and if conditions allow, we will go to Wallow West block 1B for an additional 4,000 acres, which could be completed by Saturday. Both these burn units were burned in the Wallow fire so fuel accumulations are moderately low consisting of mainly grass and less than an inch of pine litter.
This Wallow West Prescribed area project will help reduce the fuels from the Wallow Fire. This prescribed fire will reduce dead and down woody material and benefit wildlife habitat. Once ignition occurs, crews will be on the scene from ignition until there is no longer a threat of escape from the project boundaries. The burn may be canceled by fire managers if conditions become unfavorable.
All prescribed burns are approved through the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) before ignition begins. The ADEQ monitors air quality and determines whether or not it will be a good day for smoke dispersion. Although smoke from prescribed fire can still be noticeable, it is usually for a shorter time and considerably less smoke than wildfires produce. If you are sensitive to smoke or have respiratory problems, please stay indoors if possible.
Questions or concerns? Please contact the Springerville Ranger District at 928-333-6200 or visit the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest’s website at: www.fs.usda.gov/asnf
Fire restrictions: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests is not currently on any fire restrictions. Visitors are reminded to be very careful with fire. Never leave a fire unattended.
Additional Information on fire and wildfire safety can be found at:
o Northeastern Arizona Public Information System: https://311info.net/ or call 311 or 928.333.3412
o Arizona Fire Restrictions: http://firerestrictions.us/az/
o Fire Restrictions and Red Flag Alerts: http://wildlandfire.az.gov/
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