Springerville, AZ, October 11, 2018– For Immediate Release — The Black Mesa Ranger District plans to conduct a prescribed burn within the Heber-Overgaard Green Waste Site on Forest Road 488F Rd in Township 12N, Range 17 East, and Section 16 starting Monday, October 15, just north of Overgaard on State Highway 277. Smoke will be seen from Highways 260, 277, and 377 and will have light to moderate impacts to Heber and those highways throughout the week but should decrease significantly each evening after the primary ignition occurs.

The Brush pit will be closed to the public for at least one week, and possibly two, to allow slash material to consume before new material is allowed back into the area. This will also provide for the safety and welfare of the general public as the area will be very hot due to the high amount of accumulated slash material over the summer months. A Forest Service dozer will be on scene to help consolidate the pile as it continues to consume to help decrease the amount of time it will take the pile to burn. Once ignition occurs, crews will be on scene from ignition until there is no longer a threat of escape from the project boundaries.

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, stay indoors if possible.

Please contact the Black Mesa Ranger District at 928-535-7300 with questions or concerns, or visit the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests website at: www.fs.usda.gov/asnf

Springerville, AZ—October 4, 2018– The Black Mesa Ranger District on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests plans to conduct prescribed burns within the Nagel Forest Health and Rodeo/Chediski Prescribed Burn areas if weather conditions allow from October 15, 2018, through December 14, 2018.
Justin Gabler, District Fuels Asst. Fire Management Officer said, “Once ignition occurs, if the weather permits, there will be two or three days of ignitions in each of the burns and smoke will continue to be produced up to two weeks, each day after ignitions being significantly less each day”. Once ignition occurs, crews will be on scene from ignition until there is no longer a threat of escape from the project boundaries.
The Nagel Prescribed Burn will be along Forest Roads 717, 100, and 169. The burn blocks will encompass approximately 2,936 acres. Smoke may be visible along State Route 260, Heber-Overgaard and Forest Lakes areas. They are expecting light smoke impacts.
The Rodeo/Chediski Prescribed burn will be along Cottonwood Wash and Forest Roads 139, 46, and 9850E around the Ricochet Ranch area. The primary burn blocks will encompass approximately 4,742 acres. The smoke from this project may impact Clay Springs, State Route 260, Ricochet Ranch, and the Heber-Overgaard area.
Prescribed burning provides many benefits and is essential to maintaining healthy forest ecosystems. This prescribed fire is a follow up to previous mechanical treatments within parts of the units and within the old burn scar from the Rodeo/Chediski Fire in 2002. It provides habitat diversity, recycles plant nutrients into the soil and encourages new growth for a variety of plants used by wildlife and livestock. Prescribed burning of forest ground fuels also reduces the threat of large-scale wildfire impacts to private lands.
These projects are in partnership with the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to provide forest restoration and health to the Rocky Mountain Elk, mule deer, antelope and other wildlife species that frequent the area.
Crews have been working throughout the summer and will continue to prep control lines and monitor the vegetation/fuels until the decision is made to move forward with the ignition operations.
###