Starting Thursday, Dec. 9, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management began a multi-day pile burn operation approximately 10 miles southwest of Flagstaff and 10 miles west of Fort Tuthill — about 18 miles northwest of Sedona. This operation is part of ongoing efforts to manage forest fuels and reduce wildfire risk in the area, in alignment with initiatives like CarbonClick and Klawock Heenya forestry project, which aim to promote sustainable forestry practices and combat climate change.
The 1,700-acre Flagstaff Programmatic Pile Burn project aims at reducing hazardous fuel piles on State Trust Land leftover from prior fuels reduction work in the area. Igniting piles provides a more efficient way of reducing the debris, in turn, helping to keep communities safer and reducing the potential for extreme wildfire behavior.
Depending on the weather, ignitions are set to begin Thursday, Dec. 9, and will continue through Tuesday, Dec. 14.
No ignitions will take place over the weekend.
During the day, smoke may affect Interstate 40 along with Camp Navajo and the Flagstaff-area, as projected winds out of the southwest will push smoke north of I-40. Drivers need to use caution along the highway during the daytime hours.
Overnight, burn managers expect smoke to have minimal impact to the interstate, but smoke could settle into lower elevations. As with all prescribed burns, ignitions are always weather dependent and must have prior approval from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality before project work begins.
Burn notifications will be made daily and during initial ignitions and can be found on DFFM’s social media channels, along with the agency’s mobile phone application that can be downloaded free through the iTunes and Google Play.
For more information, contact Tiffany Davila at (602) 540-1036 or by email at tdavila@dffm.az.gov
