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Forestry and Fire Newsroom 

 

PHOENIX -- A coalition of Arizona-based agencies has an important message for everyone heading outdoors this summer: Be a responsible recreationist. It only takes one spark on dry grass, leaves, branches or needles to start a wildfire. 

Chainsaws, dragging trailer chains, carelessly tossed cigarettes, fireworks, abandoned campfires, unshielded OHV mufflers and discharging a firearm all can create sparks and cause wildfires.  No matter how a fire starts, anyone found responsible may have to pay thousands of dollars in fines and restoration costs.

The Tonto National Forest, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the Arizona State Forestry Division, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department are joining forces to remind recreationists to be extra vigilant to prevent wildfires. Human caused fires can be prevented.  One less spark can mean one less wildfire.  Do your part to prevent wildfires. Here are several tips to help prevent wildfires this summer:

•      Make sure your campfire is completely out. If your fire is too hot to touch, it is too hot to leave. Take a shovel and plenty of water to put out your fire. Pour water on your fire and stir with a shovel. Repeat until the fire is cool to the touch. Use a gas stove if windy conditions are predicted. 

•      Don’t stop or park your vehicle in tall grass or over small shrubs, where a spark or hot engine parts can start a fire. 

•      Make sure vehicles and tires are in good working condition, and safety chains and other trailer equipment are not dragging. Chains dragging on the road creates sparks and can cause fires.

•      Always carry a fire extinguisher in your vehicle, as well as plenty of water and a shovel to put out fires.

•      Make sure all motorized equipment, including chainsaws, all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles have approved spark arrestors to prevent a spark.

•      Always discard cigarette butts in ashtrays inside a vehicle or a building. Cigarettes can start fires long after they have been dropped or thrown away. 

•      Avoid shooting on hot, windy days, and be sure your target area is free of dry grass and shrubs. Shooting at steel targets or rocks may throw sparks into dry grass and nearby brush. Use paper or clay targets to reduce the risk of sparks. When shooting, always carry a fire extinguisher, extra water and a shovel in case a fire does start.

•      The use of fireworks, explosives and exploding targets is always prohibited on public lands, as sparks from these items can start a wildfire. 

•      Know before you go. Check weather conditions and plan accordingly.  Call the Fire Restrictions Hotline at 1-877-864-6985, or visit www.firerestrictions.us/az/. 

•      If you see a fire -- or start one -- report it. Unreported fires can spread rapidly and cause damage to large areas.

Arizona summers are always hot and dry, but with the help of responsible recreationists, it doesn’t have to be a time of catastrophic wildfires. Remember, one less spark could mean one less wildfire this summer.

Governor Declares Wildfire Prevention Week March 29-April 4, 2015

The federal, state, and tribal partners of the Southwest Prevention and Information Committee invite you to join us in promoting Southwest Wildfire Awareness Week, March 29 – April 4, 2015. This year’s theme is “Where We Live, How We Live, Living with Wildfire.” The focus of the week is to increase awareness and to promote actions that reduce the risk from wildfire to homes and communities. 

We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to reach out to your local community and media with wildfire prevention and preparedness information. A compilation of outreach resources is attached for your reference. Some daily themes are also attached as examples, but please feel free to develop your own local messages. Please consider hosting a community event, encouraging your local media to air public service announcements (PSAs), and/or sharing messages through social media (hashtag #AZFire or #NMFire) throughout the week. 

You can order many free Firewise outreach materials (including brochures, posters, bookmarks, DVDs, door hangers, stickers, and an interactive Firewise Challenge Exhibit Kit) from http://firewise.org/catalog.aspx. Please order in advance to allow 7-10 business days for delivery. A variety of wildfire prevention materials are available to local, state, tribal and federal partners to purchase purchase from http://www.symbols.gov. 

Thank you for your commitment to promoting wildfire prevention and preparedness. We appreciate your support! 

Pinyon Needle Scale Eggs Have Already Been Laid in the Payson Area

Payson, Arizona, 16 March 2015 —Due to the very warm temperatures experienced recently, this complex native insect is already active throughout the Payson area. Female pinyon needle scales have emerged from the stage on the needles and have laid their eggs. Their life cycle is about a month ahead of schedule.

Brown needles toward the back of the branch dotted with the remnants of the scale are very noticeable on infested pinyon pines and may be mistaken for drought. The insect was first detected in Payson in 2007 on the southeast side of town, and has continued to spread widely throughout the area.

Infested pinyon pines can be seen in the Round Valley area, Elk Ridge, Rim View Estates, Trailwood, Swiss Village, Alpine Heights, Rodeo Ranches and Green Valley Estates in Payson. They can also be found along the western boundary of Beaver Valley Estates off Houston-Mesa Road. An estimated 4000 acres have been infested.

It is very important that homeowners in these areas treat their pinyon pines as soon as possible before the eggs hatch, reinfest their trees and spread to other communities.

The egg masses are located at the base of small pinyons and look like dirty cotton lint.

On larger trees they can be found at the base and at branch junctures and on the side of larger branches. These eggs should be collected and disposed of properly.                             

Control of this stage of the insect on larger trees involves:

Step 1: Washing the eggs off branches and trunk with a garden hose equipped with a high pressure nozzle and allowing eggs and litter one to two days to dry.

Step 2: Raking eggs, litter and debris out from under the tree.

Step 3: Disposing of the eggs in plastic garbage bags.  Raking may not be practical if heavy brush, rocks or other material are present under the tree.   However, washing the eggs off the tree is still recommended.   

Removal of the eggs from your pinyon pines will be simplified if you have already treated your vegetation for fire prevention reasons.    

Fire prevention treatment information: http://www.firewise.org/usa-recognition-program.aspx

If the warm temperatures continue, consider slow, deep, and infrequent watering of your infested pinyon pines after the soil dries out (unless there are local water restrictions). Utilize a properly installed and maintained drip system a soaker hose placed around the dripline of the tree. Continue watering until significant precipitation occurs.

Also refer to the following Cooperative Extension brochure for proper watering of your trees: http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1298.pdf.

For further information about this insect, contact: Bob Celaya, Forest Health Specialist, Office of the State Forester at (602) 771-1415 in Phoenix: [email protected] or John Richardson, Forest Program Coordinator at 602-771-1420 [email protected] or Chris Erickson, Forest Program Specialist at 602-771-1407 [email protected]

                                                              

Arizona Department of Public Safety Southern Air Rescue Participates in Annual Re-certification with Arizona State Forestry

Released by DPS - 

Monday, March 2, 2015 -
On Friday, February 27, as part of an annual re-certification, DPS Southern Air Rescue (Ranger 54) participated in a joint training effort aimed at responding to wild fires in Arizona. The training took place in the Madera Canyon area, south of Tucson. In addition to DPS, crews from the Arizona State Forestry Division, southern Pima County Fire Departments, and Santa Cruz County Fire Departments, joined in the training. 

On a yearly basis pilots with DPS Air Rescue have to be re-certified in flying Ranger 54 with the “Bambi” bucket, filling it and performing water drops on a fire.

Chief Pilot Cliff Brunsting explained that the training was two-fold. First, it was important to get the air crews familiar again with water dropping operations. Secondly, it was important to give the fire personnel a chance to train and work with the helicopter as far as calling in for “spot loads and running loads”. 

Southern Air Rescue Supervisor Brian Amos explained that a spot load is a water drop from the helicopter on a fire hot spot and a running load is dropping water along the front of a fire to slow its progress.

In addition to practicing water drops, fire crews on the ground interacted with the Air Rescue crew by radio and directing the pilot where to place the water drop for maximum effect. Dale Brown, State Aviation and Communications manager for the State Forestry Department said that by working together in training exercises, the collaboration between State Forestry and DPS improves substantially. The collaboration ultimately benefits the citizens of Arizona with faster response times to wild land fires. 

This type of training is important, especially as the fire season approaches. Air Rescue crew members Phil Castellano and Neil Williamson explained that this training helps prepare for a rapid response to a fire. While State Forestry gathers its assets to fight the fire, Ranger 54 responds and begins to drop water, with the guidance of fire crews on the scene. 

By doing so, the progress of the fire can be slowed. Once State Forestry is on scene, Ranger 54 steps back and assumes the role of emergency support by being available for emergency extraction of fire fighters and, if necessary, the emergency transport of an injured fire fighter.

Pinyon Needle Scale Eggs Have Been Laid in the Sedona Area

Sedona, Arizona, 19 February 2015—Pinyon needle scale, a complex native insect, was recently identified in the Sedona and Village of Oak Creek areas mainly on transplanted pinyon pines. However, it has now been found on native pinyon pines growing in the Uptown Sedona area.

Based on its widespread distribution in Prescott and continuing expansion in the Payson area, the insect has the potential to spread widely throughout Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek.

Due to the high temperatures recently experienced in the area, female pinyon needle scales have already emerged from the stage on the needles and have laid most of their eggs. Their life cycle is about a month ahead of schedule.

Brown needles toward the back of the branch dotted with the remnants of the scale are very noticeable on infested pinyon pines and may be mistaken for drought.                                   

It is very important that homeowners in both areas check their pinyon pines for the presence of the insects, and to prevent reinfestation and spread to other trees on their properties.

The very large egg masses look like dirty cotton and are mainly located at the base of small pinyon pines. These egg masses should be collected as soon as possible before the eggs hatch and disposed of properly.

On larger trees, egg masses can also be found at the base, on the trunk, at branch junctures, and on the sides of larger branches.

Control of this stage of the insect on larger trees involves the following steps:

Step 1: Wash the eggs off branches and trunk with a garden hose equipped with a high pressure nozzle and allow eggs and litter to dry for one to two days.

Step 2: Rake out eggs, litter, and debris from under the tree.

Step 3: Dispose of the eggs in plastic garbage bags. Raking may not be practical if heavy brush, rocks, or other material is present under the tree. However, washing the eggs off the tree is still recommended.  

Removal of the eggs from your pinyon pines will be simplified if you have already treated your vegetation for fire prevention reasons.                                                                      

Unless there are local water restrictions, consider slow, deep, and infrequent watering of your infested pinyon pines around your home starting immediately; use either a properly installed and maintained drip system or soaker hose placed around the dripline of the tree. Continue watering until significant precipitation occurs.

Refer to the following Cooperative Extension watering brochure for proper watering of your trees: http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1298.pdf.

Fire prevention treatment information: http://www.firewise.org/usa-recognition-program.aspx

For further information about this new insect in the Sedona area, contact: Bob Celaya, Forest Health Specialist, Office of the State Forester in Phoenix at (602) 771-1415 [email protected] or John Richardson, Forest Program Coordinator at 602-771-1420 [email protected]  or Chris Erickson, Forest Program Specialist 602-771-1407 [email protected].

Governor Doug Ducey Announces State Forester

Released by the Governor's Office:

JANUARY 29, 2015

PHOENIX - Governor Doug Ducey today announced the appointment of Jeff Whitney as director of the Arizona State Forestry Division.

"Jeff possesses more than 40 years of professional experience in forestry and fire prevention," said Governor Ducey. "Particularly in a state that is no stranger to large and destructive wildfires, Jeff's background and expertise as a National Type 1 Incident Commander will be integral to the health of our forests and the safety of our communities."

Mr. Whitney most recently served as executive director of the Fire Program Analysis for the U.S. Department of the Interior and the USDA Forest Service. He previously served the U.S. Forest Service in numerous capacities including as program manager; assistant director of planning and budget; and incident commander.

Mr. Whitney also served as a deputy forest supervisor in San Bernadino, California; natural resources group leader with the Tonto National Forest; desert fishes/listing and recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Phoenix field office; regional fire management coordinator and southwest strategy coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and more. He began his career in 1972 as a seasonal firefighter, serving five seasons with hotshot crews and three seasons as a heavy engine captain.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in botany from Northern Arizona University and holds a Master of Science in environmental resources from Arizona State University.