Lakeside Ranger District continues prescribed fires
SPRINGERVILLE, Ariz. – Nov. 03, 2023 – Firefighters plan to conduct prescribed fire operations on the Lakeside Ranger District beginning Nov. 6, 2023. The Lakeside East project area is divided into the Dipping Vat, Ortega, and Doyle units for a combined acreage of 3,472. This prescribed fire is 3 to 5 miles southwest of Vernon, with project boundaries along and within Forest Roads 44, 3, 3A, 3C, and Forest Road 3D.
Fire managers will monitor weather conditions leading up to, during, and after ignitions to make sure forecasts are favorable for implementing prescribed fire. Prescribed fires are an important tool to improve forest health, remove hazardous fuels, increase firefighter safety, enhance wildlife habitat, and protect communities and watersheds.
Smoke will be visible from Highways 60 and 260 and may impact the communities of Vernon, Concho, Springerville and Eagar. Smoke should be significantly less each day after initial ignitions take place in the units, and smoke will noticeably dissipate before fire crews move into the next unit. Some sections within the project area have been previously treated with prescribed fire. The accumulated treatments create a large mosaic pattern and breaks up the vegetation continuity which helps prevent a future unwanted high-severity wildfire and aids firefighters with fire suppression around the community of Vernon. Air quality information is available at https://www.airnow.gov/
Landscape treatments on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests align with the Forest Service’s 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy, which aims to increase the use of fire on the landscape and other treatments to improve forest health.
Visit the A-S National Forests website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/asnf and follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/apachesitgreavesnfs.
