Fire managers and district rangers on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests are looking for appropriate conditions to continue to conduct prescribed fires during the Spring months.
The timing for our prescribed fires to be safely implemented is between March and May. Crews are assessing current weather conditions to make determinations on whether they are appropriate for prescribed fire activity. Individual news releases for each prescribed fire will be distributed in advance and as fire managers and district rangers narrow down the date for ignitions for each prescribed fire based upon onsite conditions. If fuel moisture, temperature, wind, or humidity are not within the burn plan prescription, the project will be canceled.
The list of potential projects follows:
Alpine Ranger District
- Wallow West Unit 4 East (5,746 acres) – approximately 18 miles southwest of Alpine
Black Mesa Ranger District
- Hidden 2 (360 acres) – 1.5 miles west of Forest Lakes
Clifton Ranger District
- EEMS Phase 1 Block C (12,008 acres) – Southwest of Blue Vista Overlook
- Mesa Re-Entry (8,767 acres) – approximately 16 air miles north or Morence
Springerville Ranger District
- Whiting Rx (800 acres) – 4 miles north of Greens Peak
- Wallow West 6A (2,100 acres) – approximately 12 miles southwest of Springerville-Eagar
Lakeside Ranger District
- Doyle (354 acres) – 1 mile southwest of Vernon
- Ortega (1,900 acres) – 1 mile southwest of Vernon
- 260 (696 acres) – 1 mile west of Linden
- Bear (1,321 acres) – 2 miles south of Pinedale
- Yellow Jacket (1,186 acres) – 2 miles south of Pinedale
Escalating wildfire danger is threatening millions of acres and numerous communities across the United States. To address this problem, the 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy was initiated in 2022 to treat up to an additional 20 million acres of National Forest System lands and an additional 30 million acres of other federal, state, tribal, and private lands. Our land management strategy is centered on long-term forest health, including reducing forest fuels and using prescribed fire on the landscape.
All prescribed fires planned and implemented on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests will incorporate the guidance in the Forest Service Chief’s National Prescribed Fire Program Review, including using the most recent science and modeling, ensuring contingency resources are more readily available, integrating drought monitoring, increasing patrols, and completing a daily go/ no-go evaluation of conditions. A final decision on whether to proceed with a specific prescribed fire will depend on agency administrator approval, resource availability, fuel moisture levels, air quality and forecast weather. Prescribed fires are designed to meet specific objectives and are always managed with firefighter and public safety as the priority.
Prescribed fires are an effective tool for restoring fire-dependent ecosystems and reducing the risk of high-severity wildfires. Fire managers use prescribed fire to improve forest health, remove hazardous fuels, increase firefighter safety, enhance wildlife habitat, and protect communities and watersheds.
Air quality information is available at www.airnow.gov/
Further information will be provided as it becomes available. Visit the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests website at www.fs.usda.gov/asnf, and follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/apachesitgreavesnfs
