Prescribed fire updates and outlook for the Bradshaw and Verde Ranger Districts

Fire Managers on the Prescott National Forest continue to look for opportunities to treat fuels across the forest.  

Bradshaw Ranger District - Ignitions are not planned for the week of November 21 – 27, 2022. Personnel will continue to actively staff and monitor debris piles from last week’s ignitions south of Lynx Lake and as needed through the holiday. Smoke may be visible but should be light in color and production. Over the past few months, 627 acres of piles have been treated utilizing forest resources and some recent help from State of Arizona resources. Fire managers are looking to continue with prescribed fire operations November 28- December 31, 2022, treating debris piles and larger surface areas with broadcast burning beginning with the Ranch RX. 

Ranch RX – 415 acres of maintenance treatments.  Previously treated, twice with mastication and once with prescribed fire. Ignitions are planned to start on Monday, November 28, and continuing Tuesday November 29, 2022, pending weather conditions and resource availability. The Ranch Rx is located south of Highway 69 and Costco; burning will be along Walker Road from the forest boundary towards Lynx Lake. Fire Managers ask that forest users refrain from using portions of the following trails within the project area, Ranch Trail #62, Homestead Trail #305, and Lynx Ruins Trail #301.  We also ask that the public not park at the Ranch Trailhead, Ruins and Lynx Gold Panning parking areas on November 28 and 29, 2022.  Smoke production will be highly visible from multiple locations including Chino Valley, Prescott, Prescott Valley, and Dewey-Humboldt but should be short in duration. If conditions become unfavorable for broadcast burning fire managers may look to continue burning piles in the Lynx Creek area as well as other locations throughout the Prescott Basin. 

Springs and Strawberry RX - 1126 acres of broadcast burning. Fire managers on the Verde Ranger District plan to start ignitions on Thursday, December 01, 2022, pending favorable weather conditions. If fire managers are unable to burn on Thursday, they will monitor conditions and try another day the following week. The burn units are located on Mingus Mountain near the junction of Forest Service Road 132/105 and Mingus Springs Ranch (T15N, R2E, Sec 28).  Ignitions are planned to be completed in two days. Fire personnel will continue to monitor, patrol and mop-up for several days after ignitions are complete.  Smoke will be the heaviest on the day of ignition and will remain visible from several locations including Cottonwood, Camp Verde, Sedona, Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, and Dewey-Humboldt for several days after.  

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 burn as firefighters and fire-related traffic will be in the area.

Prescribed fires are utilized to remove hazardous fuels and return nutrients to the soils when seasonal weather opportunities allow for the use of fire safely and effectively. Reducing hazardous fuels will help reduce the threat of high-severity, high-intensity wildfire to the public, adjacent private property, and communities. 

All prescribed fire activity is dependent on the availability of personnel and equipment, weather, fuels and conditions that minimize smoke impacts as much as possible, and approval from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (www.azdeq.gov).

Messages will be posted on social media when managed fires are ignited on the Prescott National Forest:

- Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PrescottNF/

- Twitter https://twitter.com/PrescottNF

For fire information please call (928) 925-1111; or stay up to date on Prescott National Forest news by checking the Prescott NF website and following us on Facebook and Twitter.