FREDONIA – North Zone fire managers on the North Kaibab Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest and the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park plan to conduct additional hazardous fuels reduction treatments within the Tipover East prescribed fire burn unit as early as Tuesday.
Fire managers anticipate treating between 1,000 to 3,000 acres pending favorable weather conditions and resource availability with the goal of reducing the dead and downed woody fuels by 30 to 60 percent. Currently, fuel loading through much of the unit can be characterized as moderate to heavy with approximately 36 to 55 tons per acre and averaging approximately 40 tons per acre across the entire unit. To date fire managers have treated more than 6,000 acres in the last few weeks.
“Over the past month we have accomplished a lot of prescribed burning; we are very pleased with the results we have seen so far. Overall fuel loadings within the treated areas have been reduced, wildlife habitat is being protected and enhanced, we are moving towards desired conditions that promote healthy forests, and we have continued to return fire to our fired adapted ecosystems,” said North Zone Fuels Specialist Dave Robinson.
The total Tipover East project area is 10,296 acres in size, but the entire project area will not be burned at once. Fire managers have divided the project area into separate burn units that will be treated over the next 3 to 5 years. It is located on a strip of forested land along the boundary of Grand Canyon National Park and the Kaibab National Forest west of Highway 67 and is bound by FS 223 on the north, portions of FS 270 and Highway 67 on the east, the 2003 Poplar fire history area on the south, and portions of the NPS-W4, FS 268B and FS 268 roads on the west.
In the interest of safety, forest visitors are reminded to obey all traffic signs and use caution when traveling in the vicinity of the prescribed fire burn units as firefighters and fire-related traffic will be in the area. Smoke is expected to be visible from Highway 89A, Highway 67, Marble Canyon and other high-use visitor areas. However, fire managers will strive to minimize smoke impacts to the community as much as possible. Smoke is expected to disperse during the daytime, but residual smoke may settle into drainages and low-lying areas overnight. Fire managers will only commence ignitions when conditions exist that will allow smoke to adequately ventilate.
As a reminder, implementation of prescribed fires is dependent on weather and fuel conditions including winds, temperature, humidity, moisture of the vegetation and ventilation conditions for dispersal of smoke, as well as prior coordination with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. For additional information on the Smoke Management Division of the ADEQ and to view prescribed burns authorized on any given day, please visit www.azdeq.gov/programs/air-quality-programs/smoke-management.