Fire managers are preparing to start the Carr Lake prescribed fire about 9 miles west of Forest Lakes. Operations on the 2,145-acre prescribed fire may begin Oct. 11 and continue until Oct. 15 depending on conditions onsite.
Fire crews will use Forest Road 300, Forest Road 195, Forest Road 169 and Forest Road 106 as project boundaries. The public should expect to see smoke along Highway 260 and Forest Road 300. Hand and possibly aerial ignitions (helicopter with Plastic Sphere Dispenser machine) will be used during operations. Significant smoke will last up to a few days after ignition. Fire managers will be evaluating weather conditions leading up to, during, and after ignitions to make sure conditions meet the required criteria outlined in the prescribed burn plan.
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.
Landscape treatments such as the Carr Lake prescribed fire align with the Forest Service's 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy, which aims to increase the use of fire on the landscape as well as other treatments to improve forest health.
Visit the A-S National Forests website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/asnf and follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/apachesitgreavesnfs