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Overview map of the Coconino National Forest 2024 Fall Prescribed Burn Projects
Prescribed burn projects usually commence during the early spring and fall months in northern Arizona. The public can get informed about upcoming prescribed burn projects and forest happenings by signing up to receive news releases in their email. The user just needs to provide their email address and select the “General public and local residents” list on the page before clicking “Sign Up.”
The following include any prescribed burn projects planned for the week across the Coconino National Forest. All projects are dependent upon weather conditions, so some of the projects might be cancelled at the last minute after testing weather conditions the day of the burn. Click here for an Overview Map of all the prescribed burn projects planned during Fall 2024 (20MB).
Burn plans for the week of Jan. 21, 2025:
Crater Sinks (West Fork)
- Dates: Jan. 22-23
- Location: 8 miles west of Kachina Village, roughly 12 miles southwest of Flagstaff.
- Size: Roughly 1,700 acres total: About 950 acres of state land and about 750 acres of Coconino National Forest land
- Type of Burn: Broadcast maintenance burn. Broadcast burning means firefighters will spread the fire across the landscape using drip torches, effectively 'broadcasting' the fire with low intensity across the landscape. Maintenance burns usually mean wildfire has recently been through the area, which tends to mean less smoke since forest fuels will not be as thick or built up over time.
- Smoke Impacts: Predicted north and possibly northeast winds will likely push smoke up to Sycamore Canyon and down to the Verde Valley and Sedona areas. Smoke is likely to settle in low-lying areas overnight.
- Why: This prescribed burn will reduce hazardous fuels in the area. By reducing hazardous fuels, such as pine litter and dried needlecast, during times of cooler weather and lower winds, fire managers can create a buffer zone to safeguard communities and infrastructure from the risk of catastrophic wildfire during peak wildfire season.
- Notes: No formal closure orders will be issued, but members of the public are asked to avoid the fire area.
| Current as of | Tue, 01/21/2025 - 16:00 |
|---|---|
| Incident Type | Prescribed Fire |
| Incident Commander | Coconino National Forest |
| Incident Description | Prescribed burns are important part of forest restoration projects planned in accordance with the Forest Service’s 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy. Prescribed burns and mechanical thinning work together to remove fuels such as woody debris and logging scraps from the forest floor during times of opportune weather. Fire managers make every effort to effectively plan and execute burn plans at times when weather allows for smoke impacts to be minimized and transport up and over communities. If you have a complaint about the smoke impacts you are experiencing from any of the prescribed burn projects and would like to talk to a member of Fire Management Leadership, please call our hotline at 928-226-4608 and leave your message with your name and number and someone will return your call as soon as they are able. For more information about prescribed burns and why wildfire is a necessary part of this ecosystem, please visit our website at coconinonationalforest.us. |
| Coordinates |
35° 11' 8.9'' Latitude
-111° 40' 26
'' Longitude
|