FLAGSTAFF — Coconino National Forest fire managers will begin conducting the Mint West prescribed burn project this weekend to help protect communities from catastrophic wildfires and improve the health of the forest.
The Mint West project is slated to begin Saturday, May 18 and is located 25 miles south of Flagstaff. Smoke impacts may occur along Lake Mary Road and in the Mormon Lake Village area.
Plans for prescribed burns often change quickly since they are dependent upon weather conditions and wind predictions. Details and updates about all prescribed burns can be found at inciweb.wildfire.gov. Planned prescribed burn projects will always be canceled if weather conditions – such as temperature, wind and humidity – do not meet the criteria outlined in the burn plan.
More information about the relationship between prescribed fire, weather and why prescribed burns are conducted at certain times of the year is available on Coconino National Forest’s prescribed burns & smoke web page.
Mint West (Bar-M)
- Tentative date: Saturday, May 18 (one day) (project map)
- Location: 25 miles south of Flagstaff: South of Mormon Lake.
- Size: 1,742 acres.
- Type of burn: Broadcast, initial entry. Initial entry burns mean wildfire has not been through the area in a very long time and thus results in thicker smoke due to a large amount of forest fuels being present that must be burned. Broadcast burning means firefighters use tools, such as drip torches, to move fire across large swaths of land.
- Smoke impacts: Smoke impacts will be felt along Lake Mary Road and in the Mormon Lake Village area.
- Why: This prescribed fire will reduce fuel loading south of Mormon Lake, thus lessening the risk of catastrophic unplanned wildfire during times of critical fire weather. This project also reintroduces fire into a fire-adapted ecosystem.
- Notes: There are no closures anticipated.