FREDONIA — Continued lightning activity on the North Kaibab Ranger District throughout the Independence weekend resulted in another wildfire on the Kaibab Plateau that North Zone fire managers are considering managing in order to improve forest health.
The Burnt Fire is located within the southern portion of the 28,060 acre Burnt Corral Vegetation Management Project area off of Forest Service Road 228A and has grown to approximately 1 acre since its discovery on July 5. Earlier this week, North Zone fire managers and forest resource specialists met to discuss the appropriate management strategy and develop a planning area boundary of 3,915 acres.
When deciding whether a particular wildfire is appropriate to manage to meet resource objectives, fire managers analyze the availability of fire personnel and equipment, terrain, weather, potential smoke impacts, cost, and potential resource benefits, and then make a recommendation to the line officer with input from all forest resource specialists. During this consultation, resource specialists consider all factors in order to provide the line officer with an overall big picture so that a decision can be made to manage the fire for resource benefit or suppress.
“The goals and objectives of the Burnt Corral project are to improve forest health and vigor while enhancing habitat conditions by making them more resilient to change in the event of wildfire or other climatic condition changes such as drought,” said North Kaibab District Ranger Randall Walker. “Management of this fire is in alignment with our forest plan, with the goals and objectives of the Burnt Corral project, and with the expected ebb and flow of monsoonal activity. Our goal is to reduce fuel loading, promote wildlife habitat, and treat approximately twelve percent of the Burnt Corral project area thus increasing that resiliency.”
Today, local resources are working on preparing the planning area and coordinating dozer line construction with fire archaeologists to protect cultural resources, timber stands, wildlife, and water catchments.
“Successful management of wildfire caused by lightning will help reduce the risk of future high-intensity wildfires to surrounding communities,” said North Zone Fire Management Officer Ed Hiatt. “But we encourage homeowners living in the wildland-urban interface to continue to fireproof their private property.”