Tag Archives: Kaibab National Forest

Kaibab National Forest Seasonal Fire Positions Announced

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FREDONIA, Ariz. – The Forest Service is seeking individuals to fill the following fire positions on the North Kaibab Ranger District: fire lookouts, forestry technician/engines, and materials handler.

Apply at https://www.usajobs.gov/, and search by duty station location (Jacob Lake, Ariz.) to apply for these positions. Applications deadlines are Jan. 12, 2015.

For information about Forest Service employment, please visit http://go.usa.gov/taPk. For more information about the positions outlined above, please contact Dave Gesser at (928) 643-8151.

Fire equipment vendors invited to information session

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FREDONIA – The USDA Forest Service Southwestern Region announces an information meeting for vendors interested in providing resources to support wildfires and other emergency incidents. The meeting is scheduled Jan. 7, 2015, from 1 to 4 p.m. MST via video teleconference at Forest Service offices throughout Arizona.

The meeting will discuss a variety of topics including the following:

  • How to become a government vendor
  • How to locate and respond to solicitations through the Virtual Incident Procurement (VIPR) system
  • How to read and understand contract requirements for specific equipment

The Southwestern Region is seeking competitive quotations for the following resources for fiscal year 2015:

  • Miscellaneous Heavy Equipment (Feller Bunchers, Masticators, Road Graders, Skidders)
  • Mobile Laundry Units
  • Potable & Gray Water Trucks and Trailer-Mounted Handwashing Stations

Interested vendors can obtain copies of the solicitations at https://www.fbo.gov. Type VIPR into the keyword search box and press Search to obtain a list of VIPR solicitations from all over the country. Look for the ones from the Southwestern Region, Region 3.

Vendors can attend the meeting at the following Kaibab National Forest office location:

North Kaibab Ranger District
430 South Main, Fredonia, AZ
(928) 643-7395

Other Forest Service office locations in Arizona that will be hosting the session are as follows:

  • Apache-Sitgreaves NFs—Supervisor’s Office, 30 S. Chiricahua Drive, Springerville, AZ
  • Coconino NF — Supervisor’s Office, 1824 S. Thompson Street, Flagstaff, AZ
  • Prescott Fire Center, 2400 Melville Road, Prescott, AZ
  • Tonto NF—Supervisor’s Office, 2324 East McDowell Road, Phoenix, AZ
  • Tucson Fire Center, 2646 E. Commerce Center Place, Tucson, AZ

 

For information about VIPR, go to http://www.fs.fed.us/business/incident/vipr.php or contact Anne Weiskircher, Region 3 Fire Contracting Officer at aweiskircher@fs.fed.us.

North Zone Fire Managers Plan More Pile Burns

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forestFREDONIA – With the predicted onset of snow this weekend on the Kaibab Plateau, North Zone Fire Managers plan to begin preparations for burning hand piles at multiple locations across the North Kaibab Ranger District.

It is estimated that 100-200 acres of hand piles may be burned if weather conditions are agreeable.

Forest visitors should be aware that the planned treatment areas include Stina Point and the Dry Park Lookout area.

Generally, the pile burn season is an annual winter objective for fire crews to take advantage of snow conditions to burn piles and remove these fuels from the forest floor.

Fire managers will continue to monitor forecasts prior to igniting piles and burns will only be initiated if conditions are within established parameters for safe, effective fuel reduction treatments.

Weather conditions must allow for safe burning and the elimination of any threat of fire spreading to surrounding vegetation; pile burning will continue throughout the winter as weather permits.

All prescribed burning on the Kaibab National Forest is subject to approval by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

For additional information regarding the North Kaibab Ranger District pile burns, contact the North Zone Fuels Specialist, Dave Robinson, at (928) 643-8138.

Fire managers to burn piles as winter weather moves into area

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WILLIAMS – Kaibab National Forest fire managers plan to begin burning slash piles in multiple locations across both the Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts as an approaching weather system is forecast to bring rain, snow and cooler temperatures to northern Arizona over the weekend. Piles are the result of past forest health and restoration treatments and are primarily composed of small-diameter trees, branches, twigs, pine needles and other remaining tree slash. The goal of pile burning is to remove fuels in the forest, lessening the potential for spread of future wildland fires and improving overall forest health conditions. In order to limit the chances of fire from a pile burn spreading into nearby trees or other fuels, fire managers often ignite piles just prior to or during snow or rain events.

Williams Ranger District

There are six areas of slash piles on the Williams Ranger District that fire managers plan to ignite this winter.

  • As early as today, fire managers are looking to burn 56 acres of piles on the south side of Davenport Hill north of Forest Road 140. Smoke from the pile burn may be visible in the Sherwood Forest Estates subdivision and from Interstate 40.
  • There are about 85 acres of piles near the Elephant Rocks Golf Course in Williams that are scheduled to be burned once snow flies. When these piles are ignited, residents of the Highland Meadows subdivision may notice some lingering smoke overnight.
  • The large slash pile at Moonset Pit in Parks will need to be burned once sufficient snow is on the ground. During much of the year, the Forest Service allows local residents to use the pit to dispose of woody debris from private property as a way to encourage creating defensible space. Each winter, the pit needs to be burned in order to allow that community service to continue. When the Moonset Pit pile is burned, smoke will be visible for several days due to its large size.
  • About 26 acres of piles are scheduled to be burned in the Brannigan Park area east of Parks. Minimal smoke impacts are anticipated.
  • There are 197 acres of piles in the McCracken project area that will be burned when conditions are appropriate. These piles are located near the junction of County Highway 73 and Forest Road 110 about 9 miles south of Williams. When the piles are burned, localized smoke impacts are likely, but these will dissipate rapidly.
  • Fire managers hope to burn 124 acres of piles on High School Hill just east of Williams once there is sufficient snow. Depending on conditions, the piles may be burned in segments over multiple days or all on a single day. Smoke from this pile burn will be visible from Williams and Interstate 40.

Tusayan Ranger District

Fire managers plan to burn two areas of slash piles on the Tusayan Ranger District as soon as conditions are appropriate.

  • There are 100 acres of piles just west of Grand Canyon Airport. Fire managers will look for the opportunity to burn the piles when there is an east wind, which will push smoke away from the airport and the Town of Tusayan. Given that east winds are predicted Monday, fire managers hope to begin ignitions then.
  • About 12 miles east of Tusayan near Russell Tank, there are another 100 acres of piles that need to be burned. Given the location of these piles, impacts to Tusayan are not anticipated.

Forest service announces job fair in Flagstaff

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forest-01FLAGSTAFF – The Coconino and Kaibab National Forests are hosting two Job Information Sessions to provide information on employment and career opportunities with the Forest Service.

The first session is scheduled for Dec. 12 from 1 to 6 p.m. The second session is Dec. 13 from 9 a.m. to noon. Both sessions will be held at the Flagstaff YMCA, 1001 N. Turquoise Dr., Flagstaff.

Male Subject Found Deceased Near Jolly Sink, North Kaibab Forest

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coco-sheriff-300pxFREDONIA – On September 13, 2014 deputies of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Northern District received a report of a suspicious abandoned vehicle near the Jolly Sink area on the North Kaibab National Forest. A deputy from the Fredonia Substation responded and with the help of a local rancher located a deceased male subject at the bottom of a nearby cliff near the vehicle. The Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division responded to investigate the scene. The male subject was identified as a white male in his mid-fifties from out of state. Release of the identity of the male is pending notification of family members. The incident is currently under investigation by the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office as well as the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office.

North Kaibab Ranger District Personal-Use Fuelwood Cutting Season Ends Nov. 30

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FREDONIA – The North Kaibab Ranger District would like to remind residents that the 2014 Personal Use Fuelwood Cutting Season ends on November 30, 2014. All unused fuelwood cutting permits will not be valid afterward.

Permits are issued for dead and down (dead standing and downed trees) fuelwood cutting for all species. Permits are $5 per cord, with a four-cord minimum and 10-cord maximum purchase, and are available for purchase from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the North Kaibab Ranger District Office located at 430 S. Main St., Fredonia, AZ. 86022.

The district will resume the sale of wood cutting permits for the 2015 season in May 2015, pending appropriate weather conditions. Additional information on fuelwood permits is available by contacting the North Kaibab Ranger District office at (928) 643-7395.

Early opportunity to preview 4FRI final environmental impact statement and draft record of decision

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350-4friFLAGSTAFF – The Forest Service is providing the public with an early opportunity to preview the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and draft Record of Decision (DROD) for Phase 1 of the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI).  The FEIS and DROD for the first analysis area on the Coconino and Kaibab National Forests will be available by November 21, 2014 at the 4FRI website.

In order to allow additional time for public consideration of these extensive documents, online access to the FEIS and DROD is being made available prior to the official start of the formal objection period.

“This environemntal analysis and the subsequent decision will help shape restoration action on almost a million acres for a decade,” said Kaibab National Forest Supervisor, Mike Williams. “An early preview will give the public extra time to review, understand, and ask questions about a significant step forward for our landscape.”

The FEIS analyzes about one million acres on the Coconino and Kaibab National Forests in northern Arizona. The Coconino and Kaibab National Forests are proposing 586,110 acres of restoration activities with approximately 355,708 acres on the Flagstaff, Mogollon, and Red Rock districts of the Coconino NF and 230,402 acres on the Williams and Tusayan districts of the Kaibab NF. The completed environmental analysis and a subsequent final ROD for Phase 1, provide the legal authority to accelerate restoration activities.

“The FEIS and DROD incorporate years of stakeholder and public input including key concerns such as the protection of large and old trees. Meaningful collaboration continues to be essential to our success on this project,” added Williams.

In accordance with federal regulations, the Forest Service will offer a 45-day formal objection period on the FEIS, which will begin with the publication of the Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal Register.  The NOA is expected to be published in early December 2014.

Kaibab National Forest to sell Christmas tree permits later this month

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2012 Mountain Village Holiday tree.

2012 Mountain Village Holiday tree.

WILLIAMS – The Kaibab National Forest will sell over-the-counter Christmas tree tags for each of its three ranger districts later this month. The permit will allow the holder to cut a tree of a particular species within a designated area on the Kaibab National Forest until Dec. 24.

The tags will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis until they are gone. Tags are $15 per tree. No refunds will be made, even if weather conditions prevent access to cutting areas. Tags for the North Kaibab Ranger District will be available starting Nov. 20, while tags for the Williams and Tusayan districts will be available starting Nov. 21. Customers will be provided a map that shows the designated cutting areas along with additional Christmas tree cutting instructions. The number of available tags and contact information for each ranger district is as follows:

No. of Permits Available Location Contact Information Hours
800 North Kaibab Ranger District 430 S. Main St., Fredonia, AZ 86022
(928) 643-7395		 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

The office will also be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the following select weekend days: Nov. 29, Dec. 6 and Dec. 13.
500 Tusayan Ranger District 176 Lincoln Log Loop, Tusayan, AZ 86023
(928) 638-2443		 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

The Tusayan office will be open for limited hours on Nov. 17, Nov. 19, Nov. 21, Nov. 24 and Nov. 25 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Tusayan office will be closed entirely on Nov. 18 and Nov. 20.
200 Williams Ranger District 742 S. Clover Rd., Williams, AZ 86046
(928) 635-5600		 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
Note: The Williams Ranger District office will also have 100 tags available for the Tusayan Ranger District.

Prescribed Fires Continue to Restore the Landscape

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Kaibab Forest burn crews watch the line along Perkinsville Road.

Kaibab Forest burn crews watch the line along Perkinsville Road.

WILLIAMS – With the primary objective of protecting the Williams, AZ watershed, fire managers will continue prescribed burning operations south of Bill Williams Mountain in the Twin project areas, during the week of October 26, 2014. This on-going effort to remove accumulated hazardous fuels is part of the multi-dimensional process of accelerated forest restoration taking place over time.

The Twin project areas are located on the southern base of Bill Williams Mountain immediately north of FR 122, also known as the Twin Springs Road. The planned project area is approximately 620 acres and smoke impacts are expected to be light to moderate. Smoke may be visible from Williams, AZ and surrounding communities, Interstate 40, State Route 89 and County Road 73.

All prescribed fire activity is dependent on regional Forest Service approval, personnel availability, weather – including winds and ventilation, and approval from the ADEQ.

Lights from a Friday night high school football game shine through smoke settling over Williams.

Lights from a Friday night high school football game shine through smoke settling over Williams.