Courtesy photo.
WILLIAMS — Fire managers will be conducting prescribed pile burns throughout the winter season as conditions safely allow. Winter is often the ideal time for crews to burn piles of slash and woody debris left over from forest thinning projects because colder temperatures and snow help moderate fire behavior and keep it from spreading beyond the piles. Approximately 5,000 acres of piles on the Tusayan and Williams ranger districts and 2,500 acres of piles on the North Kaibab Ranger District are slated for burning this season.
Operations are expected to begin this week with up to 511 acres of hand piles located along S.R. 64 south of the Town of Tusayan. The piles can be seen from the highway and smoke will be visible from town during ignitions. The piles are relatively small in size and will consume quickly. Little to no smoke impacts are expected.
With additional precipitation in the forecast for this weekend, crews anticipate conducting pile burns near Williams, Parks, and Jacob Lake starting the week of January 8. They will continue to seek opportunities over the next few months. Prescribed fire activity will be posted as Alerts on the Kaibab NF homepage.
Forest visitors are asked to avoid active hot areas and are reminded to use caution and drive with heightened awareness when in the vicinity of any prescribed fire project.
All prescribed fires on the forest are subject to approval by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Daily approved prescribed fires and other information about their Smoke Management Program can be found on the ADEQ Air Quality Division website.
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