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In the next few weeks, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management plans to implement multiple prescribed fire projects throughout the state.
During the fall and winter, DFFM prepares to take advantage of the normally cooler temperatures to accomplish thousands of acres in project work to provide for wildfire risk reduction, community protection and to benefit overall forest health.
More than a dozen projects are tentatively planned, including the approximately 5,000-acre Babbitt Ranches project, east of Valle/Grand Canyon Junction in Coconino County. The Babbitt Ranches Prescribed Fire is a broadcast burn across private and State Trust Lands, intended to promote healthier forests and reduce the threat of catastrophic fire to nearby communities.
In addition, DFFM will again collaborate with Arizona State Parks and Trails to conduct pile burns at a few of the State Parks. Some of those projects are currently scheduled at Slide Rock, and Dead Horse Ranch State Parks.
Over the next few months, DFFM intends to target nearly 10,000 acres of prescribed fire projects. These projects can take a year or longer to develop and implement due to the complexities of the planning process and weather forecasts.
Through hand ignitions and strategic placement of fire, prescribed fire projects greatly reduce overgrown and dead fuel across Arizona’s landscapes. They remove fine fuel buildup across the forest floor, provide nutrients to the soil and reintroduce healthier vegetation. In addition, they reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, safeguard Arizona’s communities and critical infrastructure and improve Arizona’s watershed health and long-term sustainability.
All prescribed fires are weather and resource dependent. Project work can be rescheduled or cancelled if conditions are not favorable for burning. The safety of firefighters and the public is always DFFM’s number one priority.
The department works closely with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality [ADEQ] throughout the planning and implementation process to mitigate any potential long-term smoke impacts to communities and residents. ADEQ must approve all agency burn plans prior to starting ignitions. They closely monitor the weather along with smoke production and outflow throughout the project work.
DFFM plans to issue project-specific information before starting any work. Additional fire information is available on Facebook at facebook.com/arizonaforestry or Twitter at x.com/azstateforestry. The DFFM mobile phone application can be downloaded at apexmobile.net/app/azdffm/.
