Sedona AZ (October 8, 2015) –Due to current weather conditions, fire managers were unable to complete any prescribed burning this week. Fire managers are planning to continue treatment on the Bradshaw Ranger District on Wednesday, October 14, through Sunday, October 18, in the Prescott Basin pending favorable weather conditions. Specific days to burn will be determined by the weather over the weekend and the amount of moisture received next week.
Prescribed fire will help meet objectives which include reducing hazardous fuels adjacent to the wild land urban interface and improving wildlife habitat. Fire managers plan to burn larger sections when conditions are favorable to reduce the overall number of days smoke is generated in the area.
Approximately 1000 acres southwest of Prescott, off AZ State Highway 89 (T13N, R2W, S30) adjacent to Ponderosa Park, are scheduled with this plan. This burn includes areas that have been thinned, masticated or burned in the past. Smoke will be visible in Prescott and surrounding communities and is expected to settle in the evenings which will mostly funnel down the Hassayampa drainage to the south, but some impacts can be expected in Prescott around Ponderosa Park. Lingering smoke is expected each morning in Prescott, but conditions will improve and smoke should clear by late morning.
If conditions are not favorable for maintenance burning, fire managers will burn slash piles near Ponderosa Park (T13N, R2W, S30) and Sierra Prieta (T14N, R3W, S10). Residents and visitors in the area can expect to see and smell moderate amounts of smoke in these areas.
Forest prescribed burn method
All prescribed fire activity is dependent on the availability of personnel and equipment, weather, fuels and conditions that minimize smoke duration as best as possible, and approval from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (www.azdeq.gov).
The public can obtain additional prescribed fire information via the following:
· Prescott NF Fire Information Hotline: (928) 777-5799
· Prescott NF Forest Website: http://www.fs.usda.gov/prescott/
· Local Ranger Stations: Bradshaw Ranger District, (928) 443-8000; Chino Valley Ranger District (928) 777-2200; Verde Ranger District (928) 567-4121.
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