Courtesy images.
WILLIAMS — Fire Managers are preparing to wrap up the 2024 fall prescribed burning season on the south zone of the Kaibab National Forest this week beginning with the 3055 acre Pine Flat Prescribed Fire Project located approximately 15 miles south of Williams, followed by the 1467 acre Fireball Unit on the Three Sisters Prescribed Fire Project located 5 miles northwest of Williams on the south side of FR 124.
Operations could begin as early as Thursday October 24 and are expected to be completed in 2-3 days. These burns are part of four designated project areas that were scheduled for broadcast burning over the month of October. Once completed, the total number of acres accomplished will be 20960.
Visitors can expect to see and hear a helicopter in the area, as aerial ignitions will occur on portions of the burn. Aerial-drone systems should not be used near the active project area, as they could interfere with aircraft operations.
Smoke will be visible from areas adjacent to these burns, however is not expected to impact any rural developed communities. Cooler overnight temperatures may cause smoke to settle into low-lying drainages surrounding these burn locations. Motorists are reminded to use caution and drive with heightened awareness when passing through active project areas.
Goals of prescribed fire treatments include decreasing the threat of unnatural severe wildfire and potential negative consequences to the community, improving forest health, and reintroducing fire to an ecosystem that relies on frequent fire to maintain resilience. Prescribed fires help reduce hazardous fuels that have accumulated due to drought, climate change, insects and disease, and decades of fire suppression. Fire also recycles nutrients back to the soil, promotes the growth of trees, wildflowers, and other plants, and improves habitat for threatened and endangered species.
Our land management strategy is centered on long-term forest health, including reducing forest fuels and using prescribed fire on the landscape. These efforts align with the Forest Service’s 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy which aims to increase prescribed fire and other treatments to improve forest resiliency for generations to come.
All prescribed fires are subject to approval by an agency administrator and by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. The department’s Air Quality Division: Smoke Management webpage provides details about its air quality program.
To learn more about smoke and public health, visit bit.ly/SmokeHealthAwareness.
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Additional information can be found on the Kaibab NF website, X, Facebook, Flickr, or by calling local ranger stations.
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