FREDONIA – North Zone fire managers plan to conduct a prescribed burn within the North Kaibab Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest as early as Thursday, June 1, if weather, fuel moistures, air quality and smoke dispersion remain favorable for meeting both forest health and public safety goals and objectives.
Hand and aerial ignitions on the 3,764-acre unit, approximately 2 miles north of Jacob Lake, could continue for several days depending on forecasted weather, fuel conditions and resource availability. By further reducing accumulated forest fuels that exist in the area, fire managers plan to reduce surface fuel loads within the unit to approximately 5 tons per acre. Currently, fuel loading through much of the Basin Unit can be characterized as moderate with an average of 10-to-15 tons-per-acre across the entire unit, according to North Zone fuels specialist Dave Robinson.
In the interest of both firefighter and public safety, forest visitors are reminded to obey all traffic signs and use caution when traveling in the vicinity of the prescribed fire as firefighters and fire-related traffic will be present, and while winds are expected to disperse the smoke to the north-northeast, motorists are cautioned to anticipate light smoke along Highway 89A throughout the day and settle into lower elevations and drainages overnight through midmorning. However, fire managers will strive to minimize smoke impacts to the community as much as possible, and will only commence ignitions when conditions exist that will allow for adequate ventilation.
As a reminder, implementation of prescribed fires is dependent on weather and fuel conditions including winds, temperature, humidity, moisture of the vegetation and ventilation conditions for dispersal of smoke, as well as prior coordination with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. For additional information on the Smoke Management Division of the ADEQ and to view prescribed burns authorized on any given day, please visit www.azdeq.gov/programs/air-quality-programs/smoke-management.
Additional fire information for the Kaibab National Forest can be obtained through the following sources:
· Fire Information Recorded Hotline: 928-635-8311
· Find us on Facebook: @KaibabNF
· Twitter: www.twitter.com/KaibabNF
· (Text ‘follow kaibabnf’ to 40404 to receive text messages.)
· Kaibab website “News & Events”: www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab
· InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5194/