ST. GEORGE —Prescribed fire pile burning will commence across the North Kaibab Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest for the remainder of the fall and into the winter season.
Winter weather with forecasted snow presents excellent opportunities nearly every year for fire crews to burn and consume piled slash and woody debris left over from previous forest restoration projects, according to a news release from the Kaibab National Forest.
Operations will begin with the ignition of about 300 acres of piles near Dry Park Lookout Tower on Wednesday, Nov. 30. These hand piles are relatively small in size and will consume quickly with little to no smoke impacts expected, the Forest Service said in the release.
The prescribed burns, which will cover 330 acres of piles near Dry Park Lookout Tower and Pleasant Valley cabin, are planned through February 2023.
Additional burns of hand and machine piles are planned near Jacob Lake and east of the North Rim Country Store near DeMotte Campground.
Smoke may be visible during the day as ignitions are occurring and may periodically impact Forest Road 22 but is predicted to be light in volume and short in duration, according to the news release. Smoke production is generally minimal after the first few hours with rapid dispersion as piles consume. Some smoke has the potential to settle overnight into the lower elevations due to fluctuating atmospheric temperatures that produce nighttime inversions.
Forest visitors are asked to avoid active hot areas and are reminded to use caution and drive with heightened awareness when passing through any prescribed fire project vicinity, the Forest Service said in the release.
All prescribed burning in the Kaibab National Forest is subject to approval by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Click here for additional information about the Smoke Management Division of the ADEQ and to view prescribed burn authorizations.
Additional fire information for Kaibab National Forest can be obtained by calling the recorded hotline or accessing Twitter or Facebook.