Arizona Forestry Starting Wildfire Risk Reduction Project Near Prescott Valley
Prescott Valley, AZ (5/28/2024) – Within the next few weeks, the Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) begins a nearly 600-acre fuels reduction project south of Prescott Valley, northwest of Dewey, and southeast of the Stoneridge neighborhood as part of community wildfire protection and healthy forest initiatives.
The Charcoal Gulch fuels reduction project includes mastication and hand work to 590 acres of State Trust Land strategically designed to interrupt continuity of fuels to slow potential wildfires and provide firefighters an advantage with suppression efforts. In certain cases, mastication methods allow a more systematic process to conduct project work through heavy equipment use to chip or break apart vegetation into small pieces, essentially chipping the fuel. Masticating vegetation creates a space between existing fuel to reduce fire intensity and rate of spread to allow for safer, more manageable fire suppression and ultimately safeguarding communities, like Stoneridge, Dewey and other neighborhoods within proximity of the project.
Project managers plan for hand crews to start working in June with a November completion goal and taking into consideration possible fire activity, fire restrictions, and summer monsoon storms that may impede or slow work. Crews and contractors must adhere to implemented fire restrictions and be outfitted with fire safety equipment during operational periods. Heavy equipment contractors will need to use Lucky Draw Lane through the Stoneridge neighborhood to access the project site. While there should be no major road impacts or closures, residents within Stoneridge and adjacent communities should be mindful of equipment and trucks traveling along the roads and crews working in the area.
Charcoal Gulch is just one of many hazardous fuels reduction projects for DFFM that fall within the agency’s priorities and mission to protect neighborhoods and communities from wildfire, provide for healthier forests, and protect critical infrastructure.
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For more information, contact Tiffany Davila at 602-540-1036 or by email at [email protected]
