SPRINGERVILLE, Ariz. – January 31, 2024 – Fire managers on the Lakeside Ranger District plan to continue prescribed fire operations on the Cabin unit slash piles. The project area is approximately 40 acres and is expected to be completed either today or tomorrow. Piles are composed of timber slash created from thinning projects or wildfire suppression activities and are treated to reduce hazardous fuel accumulations. Prescribed fire operations are contingent on multiple factors, including favorable weather conditions, air quality, and resource availability.

The Cabin project area is located 2 miles northeast of Lakeside, AZ. The project boundary is the Osprey Connector Trail, Forest Road (FR) 9712C, and FR 45. Fire crews will patrol the burn area each day until there is no threat of fire movement.
The objective for these prescribed fires is to reduce hazardous fuel accumulations and minimize the risk of high-severity wildfires, aligning with the Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy.

Smoke impacts are expected to be minimal and may be visible from Highways 60, 77, and 260. Travelers are advised to use extra caution when driving in the vicinity during project implementation.

Air quality information is available at https://www.airnow.gov/. Visit the A-S National Forests website and follow us on Facebook and X (Twitter).

SPRINGERVILLE, Ariz. – Nov. 27, 2023 – The Springerville Ranger District on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests plan to begin ignitions on the Whiting prescribed fire during the next available window of favorable weather conditions, potentially on Nov. 28, 2023. The prescribed fire unit is approximately 10 miles southeast of Vernon, near the Whiting homestead, and west of Forest Road 117.

The Whiting prescribed fire project will aide in cleaning up dry climate grasses, ponderosa pine and the mixed conifer understory. Fire managers will work to mitigate impacts to values at risk within the unit that include nearby communities, private property, heritage sites, rangelands, and wildlife. Recent precipitation, cooler temperatures, and relative humidity recoveries are in alignment to produce low intensity fire behavior.

Smoke may impact the communities of Vernon and Springerville-Eagar, nearby private properties, and Highway 60. Drivers are cautioned that visibility may be reduced, especially in the overnight hours when smoke tends to form an inversion layer as it settles near the ground.

Firefighters are also planning to conduct ignitions at the Greer green waste burn pit, weather permitting, to clean up and eliminate slash that has accumulated over the summer and fall. Smoke may be visible and could impact the communities of Greer, Springerville-Eagar, and Highway 260. Smoke impacts to Highway 60 may reduce visibility, and drivers are cautioned to remain aware of the potential for slower traffic in the vicinity. Information on air quality is available at https://www.airnow.gov/.

Visit the A-S National Forests website and follow us on Facebook and X (Twitter).

October 31, 2023
Whiteriver, AZ – The Bureau of Indian Affairs Fort Apache Agency Fire Management in coordination with the White Mountain Apache Tribe are planning to conduct prescribed burning within the Turkey Creek Burn Unit on Wednesday, November 1, 2023. If conditions are favorable, active ignitions will continue for several days.

The Turkey Creek burn unit is located about 8 miles southeast of Whiteriver. A total of 2,548 acres are targeted to be treated. This burn unit is burned on a recurring rotation to best mimic the natural fire return interval and restore natural fire intensities. Reducing fuel loading will decrease future wildland fire intensity and severity, lowering the risk of negative impacts to ecosystems and cultural resources that can result from uncharacteristically severe wildfires.

Prescribed burning activity is dependent upon the availability of fire personnel, weather conditions, fuel moisture levels and smoke management. Fire personnel are scouting other potential burn units in the upcoming weeks to identify which areas they will begin treatment.

Smoke will be visible throughout the day of the burn, mostly during the warmest part of the day. Smoke may linger and accumulate in low-lying areas as night time temperatures cool.

If you have any questions regarding our upcoming prescribed burning efforts, you can call Candy Lupe, Public Information Officer at (928) 338-5425 or you can log onto BIA Fort Apache Fort Apache Agency’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/BIAFAAFireMgt.

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