Arizona Forestry Conducting Pile Burn Operation at Dead Horse Ranch State Park

Cottonwood, AZ (2/22/2024) – On Tuesday, February 27, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) begins a one-day prescribed burn operation at Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood. The project involves the removal of approximately 10 acres of debris piles leftover from prior fuels reduction work conducted at the park.

Project managers expect DFFM’s Lewis Crew to begin ignitions around 9:00 a.m. with completion by the early afternoon. Due to the location of the burn, the project may be highly visible to the communities of Cottonwood, Clarksdale, Jerome, and the west end of Sedona. Burn managers expect any potential smoke impacts to be minimal and of short duration. Potential incoming weather will help with smoke dispersal. Dead Horse Ranch State Park will remain open to visitors. DFFM and Arizona State Parks and Trails collaborate frequently to minimize any potential wildfire threat to Arizona’s parks and neighborhoods within the vicinity. State Parks conducts the fuels reduction work and DFFM provides the qualified fire resources to burn off the piles. Pile burning provides a more efficient and effective way to reduce leftover debris from previous fuels work.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality must approve all prescribed fire projects, both pile and broadcast burns, prior to ignitions. Prescribed fires are also weather dependent and can be cancelled or rescheduled due to unfavorable conditions and out of firefighter or public safety concerns.

Prescribed fire ignition notification is available on DFFM’s X page: https://twitter.com/azstateforestry and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arizonaforestry/. Notifications will also be made via the agency’s mobile phone application. To download the free app visit: https://www.apexmobile.net/app/azdffm/. For more information, contact Tiffany Davila at 602-540-1036 or by email at [email protected]          

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