Tag Archives: Kaibab National Forest

100 Acres of Prescribed Fire planned near Jacob Lake

Posted on by

pb-fredonia-1FREDONIA — With a favorable window of opportunity expected to remain open on the North Kaibab Ranger District for the remainder of the week, North Zone fire managers plan to commence this year’s prescribed fire season as early as tomorrow by initiating ignitions in the Moquitch 4 project area.

The Moquitch 4 burn unit is geographically located approximately 6 miles south of Jacob Lake and is bound by Forest Service Road (FR) 217 and dozer line on the east, FR 282 on the west, FR 260 on the north and FR 212 on the south. Mainly comprised of ponderosa pine with scattered clumps of aspen and patches of New Mexico locust, this planned fuels treatment is intended to reduce hazardous fuel loads, improve wildlife habitat and stimulate aspen regeneration in the project area.

Fire managers began fuels treatments in this project area in June and to date completed 96 acres of the 1,104 acre planning area. Tomorrow, fire managers plan to target an additional 100 acres in the southern-most portion of this burn unit and continue working in a northerly direction throughout the following week until complete.

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.

Smoke may be visible from the vicinity of Jacob Lake, AZ Highway 67 and AZ Highway 89A.

“Understanding that smoke is often not a popular trade-off for having a healthy forest in a fire adapted ecosystem, part of our goal is to get the word out to people in our local communities as soon as possible and limit our operations to times when smoke has the best chance of dispersing,” said North Zone Fuels Specialist Dave Robinson.

Prior to igniting a prescribed burn, fire effects crew monitors use a pilot balloon (PIBAL) to construct a wind profile to determine wind direction and wind speed. If conditions are not appropriate to implement a prescribed fire treatment, then operations are halted until conditions fall within established parameters. In addition to conducting PIBAL operations, fire effects crew monitors also measure, monitor and document the effects of fuels treatment projects during implementation.

“The documentation generated by our fire monitors is important in determining how we can improve forest health and also in measuring our compliance with various laws, our forest plan and burn plans to help ensure the quality of our air, our water and our reforestation efforts,” said North Kaibab District Ranger Randall Walker.

Forest visitors are reminded to use caution when in the vicinity of fire personnel and fire vehicles during prescribed fire operations. Visitors should drive slowly, turn on headlights, and avoid stopping in areas where fire personnel are working.

Kaibab National Forest fire information is also available through the following resources: InciWeb http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/; Kaibab National Forest Fire Information Phone Line (928) 635-8311; Text Message – text ‘follow kaibabnf’ to 40404; Twitter www.twitter.com/KaibabNF.

Kaibab National Forest to conduct prescribed burn near Kendrick Mountain

Posted on by

WILLIAMS — Fire managers with the Kaibab National Forest plan to conduct a series of prescribed burns starting tomorrow and continuing through Monday near Kendrick Mountain on the Williams Ranger District in order to reduce hazardous fuels and increase ecosystem health and forest resiliency.

About 2,700 acres are scheduled to be treated to the west of the Kendrick Mountain Wilderness boundary and approximately 11 miles north of Parks, Ariz., using a combination of hand and aerial ignition techniques. The area has been treated with fire in the recent past, so the scheduled prescribed fire is considered a maintenance burn, which should result in less smoke production than a first-entry burn due to lesser accumulations of forest fuels.

Winds are predicted to be from the south southwest, which should push smoke north and east across Kendrick Mountain. Smoke is expected to dissipate quickly but could still be present in the immediate area in the vicinity of Pumpkin Center. It may also be visible from Highway 180 and from Interstate 40 near Parks, Ariz.

All prescribed burning on the Kaibab National Forest is subject to approval by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and appropriate weather conditions. For additional information on the Smoke Management Division of the ADEQ and to view prescribed burns authorized on any given day, please visit http://www.azdeq.gov/environ/air/smoke/index.html.

Kaibab National Forest fire information is also available through the following resources: InciWeb http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4112/; Kaibab National Forest Fire Information Phone Line (928) 635-8311; Text Message – text ‘follow kaibabnf’ to 40404.
800-kendrick-1

Kaibab National Forest releases Bill Williams Mountain Restoration Project documents for public review

Posted on by

WILLIAMS — The Kaibab National Forest recently released for public review the final environmental impact statement and draft record of decision for the Bill Williams Mountain Restoration Project, which will treat approximately 15,200 acres on and surrounding the mountain near Williams, Ariz., in order to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health and watershed conditions.

The documents, background information, maps and other associated materials are available on the forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=34690. People who previously submitted comments on the project can file objections through Oct. 30.

The draft record of decision selects an alternative that includes the following:

  • Commercial and non-commercial treatments on approximately 15,200 acres, with follow-up post-mechanical treatments on activity slash. In response to comments, cable logging is no longer included as a harvesting method option. Further, in response to comments, the inclusion of steep-slope ground-based logging equipment as a harvesting method option allows for a more economically viable project.
  • Rehabilitation of areas impacted by treatments, including aspen protection.
  • Strategic fuel treatments designed to enhance fire control lines.
  • Prescribed fire application to approximately 15,200 acres using a combination of ground-based and aerial firing techniques. This includes maintenance burning over the next 40 years.
  • Transportation system improvements, including 15 miles of new and 16 miles of temporary road construction, and obliteration of 23 miles of poorly-located existing roads. In response to comments, new forest system road construction was reduced by approximately 8 miles.
  • Improvements to the non-motorized Bixler Trail and construction of a new trailhead parking area.

After the objection period, which goes through Oct. 30, a final record of decision will be issued. Implementation of the project is expected to begin in 2016.

“Treating Bill Williams Mountain is a high priority for me and for the other managers of Kaibab National Forest,” said Williams District Ranger Danelle D. Harrison. “We are anxious to begin this important work that will provide protection to the Williams community and its watershed.”

Williams Ranger District fire managers announce locations scheduled for prescribed burning starting this fall

Posted on by

WILLIAMS — Fire managers for the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest are announcing locations where they plan to complete prescribed fire projects starting in October and continuing through much of next year. Up to about 12,500 acres could be treated across the district during that time as long as weather and fuel conditions allow.

Areas that could be treated are as follows:

  • McCracken East Prescribed Fire: Three burn units southeast of Williams, approximately 850 acres
  • McCracken West Prescribed Fire: Southeast of Williams, approximately 1,700 acres
  • Twin South Prescribed Fire: South of Williams, approximately 300 acres
  • Dutch Kid Knoll Prescribed Fire: Southwest of Williams, approximately 4,100 acres
  • Dutch Kid Hat Tank Prescribed Fire: Southwest of Williams, approximately 100 acres
  • Dutch Kid East Loop Prescribed Fire: South of Williams, approximately 1,000 acres
  • Newman Hill Prescribed Fire: Northeast of Williams, approximately 900 acres
  • Kendrick Prescribed Fire: Eleven burn units northeast of Williams, approximately 3,400 acres

During prescribed fires, community members and visitors may see fire personnel and vehicles in the vicinity. Smoke may also be present and may result in short-duration impacts to populated areas.

All prescribed burning on the Kaibab National Forest is subject to approval by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and appropriate weather conditions. For additional information on the Smoke Management Division of the ADEQ and to view prescribed burns authorized on any given day, please visit http://www.azdeq.gov/environ/air/smoke/index.html.

Prior to any given prescribed fire, additional information will be released regarding location, timing and anticipated smoke impacts. Kaibab National Forest fire information is also available through the following resources: InciWeb http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4112/; Kaibab National Forest Fire Information Phone Line (928) 635-8311; Text Message – text ‘follow kaibabnf’ to 40404.

Campgrounds scheduled to close for season on Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts

Posted on by

WILLIAMS — Campgrounds on the Williams and Tusayan ranger districts of the Kaibab National Forest will soon be closing for the winter season.

Williams Ranger District

The last night to camp at Dogtown Lake Campground and White Horse Lake Campground on the Williams Ranger District will be Sept. 30. Campsites may be reserved at www.recreation.gov through Sept. 22. After Sept. 22, all campsites at the two campgrounds will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The last night to camp in the group sites and the upper loops of Kaibab Lake Campground will be Sept. 30. The lower loops (loops A and B) will remain open until Oct. 17, with the campsites being available on a first-come, first-served basis. The day-use area and the boat ramp will remain open.

Spring Valley Cabin north of Parks, Ariz., does not close seasonally. It will remain open throughout the winter months and can be reserved at www.recreation.gov.

Tusayan Ranger District

The last night to camp in the group sites at Ten-X Campground on the Tusayan Ranger District will be Sept. 30. The single-family campsites will remain open until Oct. 4. The single-family campsites may be reserved at www.recreation.gov through Sept. 25. After Sept. 25, they will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Hull Cabin is scheduled to close for the winter season Sept. 30. It will reopen in April 2016 and can be reserved at www.recreation.gov.

Save the date: National Public Lands Day at NKRD

Posted on by

FREDONIA — The Kaibab National Forest and the International Mountain Bicycling Association will host a weekend trail building event for volunteers September 26 through 27 at Timp Point.

The 18-mile Rainbow Rim Trail is a single-track trail located in the vicinity of the south-southwestern most portion of the North Kaibab Ranger District on the Kaibab Plateau along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Once completed, the extension project will extend the existing Rainbow Rim trail east for 8 miles.

What: Volunteers will continue Rainbow Rim trail extension project

Where: Rainbow Rim, Kaibab National Forest, North Kaibab Ranger District

When: Saturday, September 26, 9:00 am through Sunday, September 27, 12:00 pm

General Information:

  • Camping sites reserved for volunteers at North Timp Point
  • Cold breakfast provided both days & hot dinner provided Saturday evening
  • Volunteers must bring their own lunch
  • Volunteer bike ride of Rainbow Rim trail on Saturday afternoon (3 to 6pm)

RSVP required:

Please click on email links below to RSVP, and please include the number of volunteers that may be joining you in the body of your email. For example: “I’m responding to your National Public Lands Day Rainbow Rim Volunteer Event invitation, Sept. 26 through Sept. 27. Please add myself (+ 2) to your list.” Or “Regretfully, I will not be able to attend your event. Thank you.”

Oak Hill and Keyhole Sink parking area to temporarily close

Posted on by

640-keyhole-sink-038WILLIAMS — The parking area that provides access to the Oak Hill Snow Play Area and Keyhole Sink Trail on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest will be temporarily closed beginning Sept. 8 due to the presence of heavy equipment and construction materials.

Old toilet facilities are scheduled to be removed in the area and replaced with new ones. Forest managers expect the construction work and disturbance of the parking area, which is located off of old Route 66 just west of Parks, to last from Sept. 8 through Sept. 16. It is anticipated that the parking area and the new facilities will reopen to public use on Sept. 17.

Due to no other available parking nearby, there will be no motorized access to the Oak Hill and Keyhole Sink areas while the construction work is taking place. The Keyhole Sink Trail will remain open, but the trailhead will only be accessible via nonmotorized means.

“This construction work will result in an improved recreation experience for our visitors once it is complete,” said Lisa Jones, recreation staff officer for the Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts. “We hope to have the parking area cleaned up and reopened for public use by Sept. 17. Until then, we ask our visitors to understand that the temporary inconvenience will result in better facilities in the long term.”

Military veterans give North Kaibab trails a facelift

Posted on by

kaibab-veterans-1FREDONIA — The Forest Service’s most recent 2015-2020 Strategic Plan contains four outcome-oriented goals, one of which is to “Deliver Benefits to the Public.” Last week, recreational staff from the North Kaibab Ranger District (NKRD) of the Kaibab National Forest partnered with the Arizona Wilderness Coalition (AWC) and military-veteran volunteers to once again work toward meeting that goal by working together to maintain trails within and near the Saddle Mountain Wilderness.

Since the recent June release of the new Strategic Plan, the district’s staff has taken this challenge seriously by implementing various projects throughout the summer that would help meet this strategic goal. In addition to this most recent AWC Veterans Saddle Mountain Wilderness project, other summer projects on the district include: trail, sign, and building maintenance performed by students from the local Youth Conservation Corps, trail maintenance on the Rainbow Rim performed by volunteers from the American Conservation Experience and the International Mountain Bicycling Association, and prescribed fire prep work on the Tipover East prescribed fire burn unit performed by inmate fire crews from the Arizona State Forestry Division, who completed approximately 30 acres of thinning and hand piling fuel reduction work.

kaibab-veterans-2“For my veteran brothers and sisters, this trip was a good chance to push reality and stress aside and enjoy one of this country’s treasures, meet other veterans and make some new friends,” said U.S. Army veteran Bill Losh.

During the Saddle Mountain Wilderness project, AWC coordinator Brian Stultz and NKRD coordinator Denise Carpenter, jointly hosted ten U.S. military veteran volunteers to three days of trail maintenance and hiking followed by four nights of rest and relaxation, campfire bonding, and evening dinners consisting of burgers, pastas, fresh salads and three much-loved dutch-oven entrees cooked by Stultz.

“The cord is cut,” said Mind, Body and Resilience trainer Nick Manci, who instructed yoga and trauma release classes throughout the week. “I felt a disconnect to my world back in Phoenix. My time in the forest with no communication with anyone outside of our camp and the trail time, yoga, trauma release and meditation all played a role in my reemerging with nature. I’m once again reminded of where I’ve come from and where to find solace and peace. It took four days. I’ll return to the city tomorrow a little different man. I am thankful for my time here on the Kaibab Plateau.”

“I especially enjoyed the beauty and quiet seclusion of the wilderness,” said U.S. Marine Corps veteran John Morgan. “There was nothing but friendly and professional folks running this program, and plenty of time to myself. I think the volunteer program is a major plus and would do it again if asked.”

Throughout the week, volunteers dispersed camped in a water-and-electric free environment alongside Forest Service Road 611 just a few miles from the three trailheads. Each day, the crew started with morning yoga, breakfast and a short hike before the work of cutting trees and trail brushing began.

“I have shed a lot of military skin in the eight years since I got out,” said U.S. Marine Corps veteran Jeff Glessing. “Reconnecting with veterans who get it was a great treat for the weekend. We were able to speak freely about our experiences, connect over common ground and speak in acronym-filled sentences without having to decipher it for our audience.”

Throughout the days, the veteran crew worked alongside NKRD and AWC personnel. All told, they improved about 3.5 miles of the North Canyon Trail, clearing a 10-foot by 12-foot wide corridor to accommodate pack horses, and an additional 1.6 miles on the Saddle Mountain Trail. All maintenance work was done with hand tools such as the crosscut saw, bow saw, pruning saw, grub hoe, and loppers.

“It’s kind of like performing plastic surgery for the trails,” said Carpenter, a seasoned and certified crosscut sawyer. “Trail work requires many various kinds of hand tools and, to be safe and productive, trail workers must know how to select the best tools for the job and be skilled at using them. Productive trail work depends upon knowing your way around sharp tools, working together as a team and having a constant awareness of surrounding hazards, and this crew did remarkably well for their first time doing this type of work together.”

Since this particular trail maintenance was done on trails leading into and within Saddle Mountain Wilderness, the crew was prohibited from using motorized equipment within the wilderness due to the Wilderness Act of 1964 in order to provide wilderness protections for future generations.

“When everything was said and done, we were greatly supported by the AWC and USFS, who proved very knowledgeable and were willing to answer all kinds of questions about forestry, land management and ecology,” Glessing added. “We had a shared experience that is difficult to find once you leave the military. It was fun and I’ll be looking forward to my next AWC trip; hopefully, just around the corner.”

Fire management actions wind down on Kaibab Plateau

Posted on by

FREDONIA — Over the last six weeks, wildland firefighters worked to establish, reinforce and hold the line around the established 3,915-acre planning area on the Burnt Complex. On Aug. 5, they successfully achieved this management goal. Earlier this wildfire season, firefighters also successfully managed the Locust Fire, which consumed more than 3,227 acres of excess pine litter and dead-woody debris on the forest floor.

“Collectively, I can safely estimate both these wildfires removed approximately 5 to 10 tons-per-acre of excess fuels from the forest floor, making these portions of our forest healthier, more resilient to future wildfires and overall safer for those visiting the forest,” said North Zone Fuels Specialist Dave Robinson.

Objectives for a lightning-caused wildfire can call for full suppression, allowing the fire to take its natural course, or a combination thereof. This decision can be challenging because it includes a number of complexities that must be taken into account when planning such an operation. Such complexities can include but are not limited to landscape, terrain, and weather but also public health risk and values at risk, such as historic landmarks, power lines, communication towers, local businesses and privately-owned properties in or near the location of the wildfire, also referred to as the Wildland-Urban Interface or the transition zone between unoccupied land and human development.

When conditions are right and deemed appropriate to manage as identified by the Kaibab National Forest Land and Resources Management Plan (LRMP), management action objectives often include returning fire to a fire-adapted ecosystem, reducing accumulated fuels on the forest floor; recycling of nutrients into the soil; enhancing wildlife habitat and protecting the area from future high-intensity wildland fires.

Robinson adds that in addition to reducing fuel surface loads on the ground, it is also necessary to open the tree canopy and reduce understory tree densities in the planning area, resulting in a mosaic of patches and corridors of trees and diversity of distribution and abundance of different plant and animal communities and species within the area covered by the LRMP. On the Burnt Complex, this was accomplished by reducing the number of pole-sized trees, according to Robinson; a term used to describe trees 6 inches in diameter or less.

Robinson, who works for both the Kaibab National Forest and Grand Canyon National Park in fuels management, added that “wildfire is a commodity that we can’t afford to live without. So we do our best to manage these naturally-caused fires by manipulating the fire and keeping it at the low-and-slow intensity we want so nature can run its course. This natural disturbance process allows fire to reduce excess fuels, lessen the risk of future high-intensity wildfires, and allow fire to return to the ecosystem safely and effectively in an environment that needs fire to remain healthy.”

Both the Burnt Complex and the Locust Fire continue to be in monitor and patrol status, and fire managers are asking forest visitors to avoid entering the recently burned area as interior fuels may still be putting out heat and smoke.

“Successful management of these lightning-caused fires starts with communication and information. Firefighter and public safety is always the most important consideration as part of that process,” said North Zone Fire Management Officer Ed Hiatt. “We want our visitors to understand that even though a recently burned area may look like a safe place to explore, it isn’t. There may be fire-weakened tree hazards overhead or stump-hole hazards on the ground, which can cause serious injury, so it is always best to be aware of your surroundings, be on the lookout for such hazards and use extreme caution if hiking or camping in the vicinity.”

4FRI thinning project begins on Williams Ranger District

Posted on by

WILLIAMS — Tree removal has begun on a 1,646-acre project on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest associated with the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI).

The Pomeroy Task Order area is located in the vicinity of KA Hill just south of Scholz Lake and about 5 miles south of Interstate 40. Pomeroy is part of the 4FRI Phase One Stewardship Contract held by Good Earth Power AZ LLC.

As thinning work is implemented, residents and visitors can expect to see heavy equipment and workers in the project area and along haul routes. Log trucks may begin hauling as early as this week. The haul route will be from Forest Road 13 west to FR 109, north on FR 109 to FR 141, and then along FR 141 through McDougal Flat until reaching the Good Earth Power mill located near Bootlegger Crossing.

Members of the public are urged to use extreme caution near timber removal and hauling operations. Besides the presence of heavy equipment and log trucks, there will also be trees being felled and stacked into log decks, which can be unstable. Visitors to the area should not camp near nor climb on them, as they often shift and have the possibility of collapse.

A portion of the Overland Trail passes through the project area. Although the trail will not be closed, users can expect to see signs posted along the trail advising them of the work being completed. Safety signs have also been posted on roads in the area to inform members of the public about the operations.

Forest managers said they hoped at least 500 acres of thinning could be completed within the 1,646-acre project area before any snow falls.

The objectives of the thinning operations in the Pomeroy Task Order area are to reduce fuel loading and the potential for future high-intensity wildfires and to improve wildlife habitat and overall forest health.

The goal of the 4FRI is to accelerate the pace and scale of restoration within 2.4 million acres of ponderosa pine forest in northern Arizona to increase resilience and proper functioning. Restoring this fire-adapted ecosystem is accomplished with a suite of restoration activities – from watershed maintenance and habitat improvements to prescribed burning and thinning.