Courtesy image.
FLAGSTAFF — Coconino National Forest fire managers will begin preparing this summer for the upcoming Timberline prescribed burn project adjacent to the Timberline community northeast of Flagstaff, which burn will be conducted at later dates between mid-October and mid-November.
Residents will begin to see dozers and personnel working in the forest around the prescribed burn area throughout the summer as they prepare the landscape for a safe and successful burn.
This 1,730-acre project is important as it will remove forest fuels in strategic areas, helping mitigate and protect the Timberline-Fernwood and surrounding communities from future extreme wildfires.
Successful prescribed burns require ideal conditions. Forest fuels – including pine needle accumulation, dead and down trees, and decaying plant matter on forest floors – need to be dry enough to burn at a low rate of intensity, but not too dry as to burn hot and fast. Weather and wind conditions also need to be strong enough to carry fire across the landscape and smoke impacts up and over communities.
Fire managers plan on burning later in the fall and will make every effort to choose days that are favorable for a safe and effective burn where wind is able to transport smoke away from the surrounding community as quickly as possible.
This effort is part of the Forest Service’s 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy. More information about the relationship between prescribed burns our fire-dependent ecosystem is available on the Coconino NF Prescribed Burns and Smoke web page.