Prescribed Fire Project Starts Wednesday in Far West Valley
Phoenix, AZ (3/25/2024) – Starting Wednesday, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) starts a two-day prescribed fire project near Buckeye, east of State Route 85, in Maricopa County. The Robbins Butte Pile Project is a 10-acre pile burn to reduce leftover debris from previous fuels reduction work in the area.
DFFM’s hand crews plan to start ignitions at 10:00 a.m. on both Wednesday, March 27, and Thursday, March 28, to allow for adequate smoke ventilation and reduce any potential smoke impacts to nearby communities. Ignitions on both days may last through the early afternoon. This project will be very visible to the Buckeye-area and drivers along State Route 85 due to the vegetation type within the piles. Upon completion of the project, an engine will patrol and monitor the area through the weekend.
The Robbins Butte Pile Project is a collaborative effort between DFFM and the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD). The overall goal of the project is to remove invasive species like Tamarisk, better known as Salt Cedar, to decrease the wildfire threat and improve wildlife habitat within the Robbins Butte Wildlife Area, managed by AZGFD. DFFM awarded AZGFD a grant for project work through the department’s Invasive Plant Grant Program. The project work outlined the need for mechanical treatment of 33 acres of dense Salt Cedar stands among other nuisance vegetation. As part of the project scope, the debris was to be piled for qualified resources to burn off. Pile burning is a more effective method of reducing leftover vegetation.
Prior to ignitions, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality must approve all prescribed fire projects, both pile and broadcast burns. 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/. DFFM also makes notifications 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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