Category Archives: National Government

Kaibab Forest Service selling Christmas tree permits

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WILLIAMS — The Kaibab National Forest is selling Christmas tree permits through Recreation.gov. Permit holders will be allowed to cut November 16 through December 24.

A total of 2,500 permits will be available for purchase through the Recreation.gov webpage for Kaibab NF Christmas Trees, which also lists details about designated cutting areas, maps, dates, and sizes of trees that may be cut. Five hundred permits will be designated for cutting areas on the Tusayan Ranger District, while the North Kaibab and Williams ranger districts will each have 1,000 permits available.

Permits are limited to one per household and will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis until sold out. Each permit costs $15.00 per tree. Permits designated for the Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts will be good for one tree each. For the North Kaibab Ranger District, up to 5 trees may be purchased on a single permit. A processing fee will be applied to each transaction.

When purchasing an online permit, it is important to carefully read the overview and need-to-know information prior to purchasing. Visitors will also need to set up or login to a Recreation.gov account to complete the transaction.

Fourth-grade students can get a free Christmas Tree through the Every Kid Outdoors Program by entering their pass ID on Recreation.gov. For additional information about the initiative and how to obtain a pass, visit www.everykidoutdoors.gov.

Fire restrictions lifted in Coconino and Kaibab Forests

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FLAGSTAFF, WILLIAMS — Stage 1 fire restrictions have been lifted for the Kaibab National Forest, and a reduced Bill Williams Mountain closure is anticipated to be issued in the coming days.

Although fire danger has decreased, safety hazards will still exist on Bill Williams Mountain while fuels reduction and forest restoration operations occur on the steep slopes, which is expected to continue through the season as conditions allow. The current closure on Bill Williams Mountain will remain in place at this time; however, the Forest Service is developing a reduced closure that allows as much access as possible while continuing to provide for public safety. Details of this change will be distributed when the closure is updated.

Fire managers have been evaluating conditions regularly since restrictions were implemented earlier this summer. While the forecast for the next several weeks includes dry weather and unseasonably higher temperatures, the recent precipitation and generally colder weather has helped reduce fire danger.

It is important to remember that wildfires could still burn uncharacteristically for this time of year, given the overall conditions of the forest. The public is urged to help prevent human-caused wildfires by ensuring campfires are fully extinguished – cold to the touch – before leaving them unattended. Abandoning a campfire is prohibited all year round.

Fire restrictions and closures can be found on the Kaibab National Forest Alerts and Notices webpage.

Stage 1 fire restrictions are currently lifted across Coconino National Forest, as key components and measurements that fire managers use to determine the implementation of fire restrictions have dropped, which has also decreased fire danger.

However, visitors should be aware of certain areas that have fire restrictions year-round, which can be found on the Coconino NF Forest Orders web page.

Coconino Forest briefly came out of fire restrictions when monsoon arrived in July, but then reentered Stage 1 fire restrictions on August 14 and has been in restrictions up until today.

Coconino NF to sell limited number of Christmas tree permits

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FLAGSTAFF — Coconino National Forest began selling a limited number of Christmas tree permits online on October 15, and permit owners will be allowed to begin cutting Nov. 16 through December 24.

A total of 1,050 permits will be available for purchase on the Coconino NF Christmas Tree Recreation.gov webpage, which also lists details about designated cutting areas, maps, dates, and types of trees that may be cut.

Two hundred permits will be designated for the cutting areas within the Flagstaff Ranger District, while 850 permits will be designated for the cutting areas within the Mogollon Rim Ranger District. A small amount of over-the-counter permits may be available in late November, but are not available currently since all permits are being sold online starting tomorrow.

When purchasing a permit online, it is important to carefully read the overview and need-to-know information prior to purchasing. Visitors will also need to set up or login to a Recreation.gov account to complete the transaction. Permits will be issued one per household on a first-come, first-served basis until sold out.

Many other national forests are also selling Christmas tree permits online for their forests. To find out if online Christmas tree permits are available in your neck of the woods, visit www.recreation.gov and search for “Christmas Tree Permits” to pull up a list of all the national forests that are participating.

Horse Fire in Bradshaw Mountains near Crown King started Thursday.

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PRESCOTT — The Horse Fire, 7-miles NW of Crown King and 18 miles south of Prescott in the Prescott National Forest grew 3,500 acres over this evening. The fire started Thursday and the cause is under investigation.

Airtankers and helicopters were essential in slowing the spread of the fire as firefighters gained access. The fire is in a remote section of the forest with steep, rugged terrain. The strategy for the Horse fire is full suppression as crews continue to use aircraft to slow the rate of spread and scout for holding features to use as containment lines.

Goodwin, Senator Highway at Palace Station, and County Road 59 from Cleator have been closed.

Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office has issued a Code Red ‘Go’ for the communities of Crown King, Minnehaha, Horsethief Cabins and any private inholdings in and around the fire area. There are evacuations currently in effect. For information on the Code Red alerts issued you can visit the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page for updates or call (928) 771-3321 or to sign up for Code Red notifications visit Yavapai County Code Red Notification.

Fire restrictions to be implemented Friday for Coconino and Kaibab Forests

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FLAGSTAFF, WILLIAMS –— Due to lack of monsoon precipitation and key criteria being met for restrictions, the Coconino and Kaibab national forests will enter Stage 1 campfire and smoking restrictions Friday, August 14 at 8 a.m. The goal of the fire restrictions is to protect public health by reducing the number of preventable human-caused wildfires.

Under the restrictions, fires, campfires, charcoal, coal and wood stoves are prohibited, except within a developed recreation site. Smoking is also prohibited, except within an enclosed vehicle, building or a developed recreation site. Using a device that is solely fueled by liquid petroleum or LPG fuels that can be turned on and off is allowed in areas that are barren or cleared of all overhead and surrounding flammable materials within three feet of the device. Fireworks are always prohibited on all national forest lands.

Fire officials acknowledge it is rare for restrictions to be applied twice in the same year, however these decisions are based on a combination of factors that are carefully measured. Criteria used to determine when to implement restrictions include things such as current and predicted weather, fuel moisture, a variety of science-based indices, fire activity levels and available firefighting resources.

Fire restrictions are implemented to help prevent unwanted, human-caused fires and to limit the exposure of visitors during periods of potentially dangerous fire conditions. With no significant moisture predicted in the long term forecast, additional restrictions may be applied at any time conditions warrant which could include Stage 2 Fire Restrictions and additional closure areas as needed. Fire restrictions typically remain in effect until the area covered by the restrictions receives significant precipitation, at which time they will be rescinded.

An explanation of the different stages of fire restrictions and what is typically prohibited during those stages can be found online at www.tinyurl.com/firestagesexplained.

The Kaibab National Forest will also temporarily close the Bill Williams Mountain watershed just southwest of the City of Williams due to the area’s susceptibility to uncharacteristically severe wildfire and post-wildfire flooding that could result.

There will be a modified boundary of this closure area on the south side of the mountain reducing the southern closure boundary from FR108 north to FR122.

Forest officials would also like to remind visitors that having a campfire on the national forest while under fire restrictions is a violation that can carry a mandatory appearance in federal court. Visitors should use extra caution when recreating on all public lands during fire season.

Halfway Fire at 97 Acres, Forward Progress Halted

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TUSAYAN – The Halfway Fire which was ignited by a lightning strike on the Tusayan Ranger District over the weekend grew to 97 acres on Monday, however a combination of initial attack resources including aircraft, hand crews, engines and a dozer working steadily throughout the day and were able to stop forward progress of the fire by early that evening.

Additional resources arrived on Tuesday which reinforced efforts as crews worked to fortify lines and knock down hot spots preventing any further spread. Approximately 80 personnel have been assigned to the incident at this time. The fire is 3 miles east of Tusayan and is now 20% contained. Crews will continue working the next several days improving and securing constructed fire lines, holding the perimeters, and begin mopping up.

Smoke may continue to be visible from the town of Tusayan, Grand Canyon Airport, highway 64, and from areas inside the Grand Canyon National Park. Overnight inversion may cause haze and smoke to drift into the town on Tusayan in the early morning hours over the next few days but is expected to lift and ventilate out rapidly as surfaces warm.

A small portion of the Arizona Trail was affected by the fire, however it remains open. Hikers are asked to follow temporary detour signs encountered on the trail near the burned area. Motorists and visitors are asked to be aware of apparatus and fire personnel when travelling through the area and to avoid driving in the immediate vicinity of the fire where active operations are occurring.

Coconino NF seeks public comments on extension of SF Peaks mineral withdrawal

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FLAGSTAFF — Coconino National Forest has filed an application with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to extend a San Francisco Peaks mineral withdraw for an additional 20 years and is seeking public comments regarding the extension.
Public Land Order 7467 withdrew 74,689 acres in the SF Peaks/Mt Elden recreation area in 2000 from settlement, sale, location, or entry under the general land and mining laws, but not from leasing under the mineral leasing laws. The order expires Oct. 15, 2020, but an extension would continue the withdrawal to protect the cultural significance, capital investments and dispersed recreation values in the defined recreation area.
BLM provided notice of application in the Federal Register on June 16, which provides the public the opportunity to comment on the withdrawal extension application.
Coconino NF will be hosting a virtual public meeting August 17 at 5 p.m., and the public can attend this online meeting by sending an email to
comments-southwestern-coconino-flagstaff@usda.gov with “Withdrawal” in the subject line to receive a meeting invite with an online link.
The public can also provide comments to the BLM by mail, fax, or email. All comments should be sent to the BLM Arizona State Office, One North Central, Suite 800, Phoenix, Arizona, 85004; faxed to 602-417-9452; or sent by email to BLM_AZ_Withdrawal_Comments@blm.gov. The BLM will not consider comments received via telephone calls.

Pig Fire south of Sedona approximately 20% contained

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SEDONA — Coconino National Forest firefighters continue to suppress the Pig Fire approximately 5 miles south/southeast of Village of Oak Creek off the east side of northbound Interstate 17.

The fire does not pose any risk to structures, homes or communities. Burnout operations yesterday and into the night helped secure the I-17 corridor and other lines around the upper section of Forest Road 689, bringing the fire to 480 acres as of this morning.

Fire investigators determined the cause of the wildfire to be a piece of catalytic converter discharged from a vehicle traveling along the interstate. Faulty catalytic converters can break apart and move through the exhaust system, eventually discharging from the muffler. These tiny pieces of “honeycomb” are extremely hot, and if they land on flammable material—such as dry brush and grass—often start a wildfire.

Fire crews will continue to hold and improve the lines established throughout the day and monitor the south side of the fire where there was little activity yesterday.

Current resources on scene include a Hotshot crew, six engines, a fuels crew, one water tender, one dozer, and partner agency personnel from Arizona Department of Transportation, Department of Public Safety, and Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office. In total, approximately 95 firefighters and personnel are assigned to the fire.

Lane restrictions and closures may exist on the northbound side of I-17 near the Sedona exit, so motorists should plan for additional time when traveling north.

Crews Respond to 50 Acre Wildfire 3 Miles Southeast of Tusayan

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TUSAYAN — Fire crews from the Kaibab National Forest, Tusayan Fire Department, and Grand Canyon National Park responded to a wildfire Monday morning about 3 miles southeast of the town of Tusayan. The 50 acre lightning caused Halfway Fire was discovered by local aircraft and most likely started the day before from a passing thunderstorm.

Multiple resources have been working on the fire Monday including a helicopter, a dozer, 3 engines and miscellaneous overhead. Additional resources have been ordered to assist from neighboring forests and are expected to arrive later today.

The fire is moving in an easterly direction and is not posing a threat to any developed areas or Infrastructure at this time.

Smoke may be visible at times from the town of Tusayan, Grand Canyon Airport, highway 64, and from the east rim drive in Grand Canyon National Park. Motorists are asked to be aware of fire personnel and vehicles and use caution if driving near the vicinity of the fire.

Fire Restrictions to be Lifted Tuesday on Entire Kaibab National Forest

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WILLIAMS — Due to significant and widespread precipitation received across much of northern Arizona, the Kaibab National Forest will lift all fire restrictions on all three districts on Tuesday July 28 at 6:00 a.m.

Coconino County has also lifted fire restrictions in the unincorporated areas.

The area closure protecting the Bill Williams Mountain watershed will also be rescinded at this time, and visitors can once again camp, hike, and drive in the popular recreation areas. However, due to the hazardous nature of technical work in the higher elevations where steep slope fuels reduction operations have been occurring, a revised area closure will be forthcoming in September to ensure public safety on that portion of the mountain as work resumes.

The districts have received a substantial amount of rain over the last two weeks relaxing the danger levels across the forest. Each year fire officials closely monitor conditions before decisions are made to implement fire restrictions and area closures designed to protect human life, property and natural resources. These procedures are used to help prevent unwanted, human-caused fires and to limit the exposure of visitors during periods of potentially dangerous fire conditions.

The Kaibab National Forest would like to express appreciation for all those who assisted our firefighters and patrol units with their compliance while under these conditions. When members of the public abide by fire restrictions and closures, they greatly help in protecting their public lands and adjacent communities from the threats posed by human-caused wildfires.