State Forestry Planning Prescribed Burn Next Week Northwest of Payson
Pine-Strawberry, AZ (11/10/21) - Upcoming and favorable weather conditions provide an ideal window for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management and the Pine-Strawberry Fire District to begin a multi-day, prescribed burn near the communities of Pine-Strawberry.
Starting November 15, DFFM begins ignitions to 100 acres of a 200-acre project at Camp LoMia in Pine. The goal of the burn is to safeguard Mogollon Rim country communities by decreasing the threat of catastrophic fire. The project intends to reduce the current fuel load by up to 80% to provide for a more manageable fuel level. Project objectives also include, improving forage for wildlife and improving nearby watershed conditions. DFFM crews will conduct the project using hand-firing operations as an efficient way of reducing the fuel loading to obtain the desired project objectives and benefits.
Due to the location of the project, DFFM burn managers expect the Camp LoMia Rx Burn to be very visible to some Rim Country communities, including Pine and Strawberry and along State Routes 260 and 87. Road signs will be in place to inform drivers and residents of the burn. Winds out of the south will help minimize smoke impacts to Pine. However, the Pine Creek-Canyon area may experience overnight smoke as it settles into the canyon.
Fire is extremely beneficial to the ecosystem and acts as a cleansing agent by removing overgrown vegetation, provides for healthy plant regeneration, removes invasive species and pests, reestablishes soil nutrients, and most importantly safeguards communities from destructive wildfires.
As with all prescribed burn projects, ignitions remain weather dependent and must have prior approval from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
For day of burn information and other pertinent prescribed burn updates, go to DFFM’s Facebook and Twitter sites. You can also find more information on the Camp LoMia Rx Burn on the Pine-Strawberry Fire District’s Facebook page.
