Tucson, Ariz. – Beginning in October, the Coronado National Forest staff, with assistance from local Federal agencies and Arizona state agencies, will start conducting prescribed burns in the form of pile and broadcast burns across the Forest, as weather conditions allow. Prescribed burns will likely conclude by early-spring.
Pile burns are the follow-up treatment to small tree thinning. These burn piles have been piled by hand or machine. The suite of treatments from thinning, to piling, and now pile burning, help restore healthy and resilient forest conditions by:
- Reducing forest undergrowth and post-harvest slash
- Providing forage opportunities for game
- Recycling nutrients back into the soil
- Promoting the growth of fire-adapted and native vegetation
Broadcast burns are the final step in large landscape treatment. Within these areas, heavy fuel loads need to be reduced and fire reintroduced as a natural process to restore the ecological balance. Broadcast burns not only meet the objectives of the pile burn, but they also serve to reduce the risk of catastrophic fires that threaten human safety and property.
These burning events are done with strict adherence to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) Smoke Management Plan. Even so, motorists are reminded to use caution when approaching areas of burns. Reduce speed and be alert for the presence of vehicles, personnel, and smoke over the road. More information on smoke and public health is available online at https://azdeq.gov/welcome-adeq.
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