Tonto National Forest fire officials are planning a prescribed pile burn on the Mesa Ranger District around Goldfield Estates beginning March 19-20, 2024.
The purpose of this project is to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire to the community of Goldfield Estates by removing natural hazardous fuels that have built up adjacent to the property boundary and national forest system land. This fuel reduction operation will alleviate the area of dead vegetation while maintaining healthy native trees and shrubs.
“We need to provide a barrier free of hazardous fuels for our firefighters to safely engage in suppression operations to protect the community in the event of a wildfire,” said Mesa Fire Management Officer Chris Loxterman.
The pile burns will be conducted near State Route 87, between mile markers 194 and 197, both north and south bound. Motorist should expect to see smoke and use caution when travel through the area. Pile burning mitigates potential smoke impacts to areas by reducing the amount and duration of smoke in the air.
Prescribed fire operations are part of the USDA Forest Service’s overarching wildfire crisis strategy to reduce wildfire risk to people, communities, critical infrastructure and natural resources while sustaining and restoring healthy, resilient fire-adapted forests. Visit the Confronting the Wildfire Crisis webpage for information about the USDA Forest Service’s 10-year strategy to address the wildfire crisis and learn about the additional $500 million allocated by the Biden-Harris Administration to reduce the risk of wildfires to communities, critical infrastructure and natural resources from the nation’s ongoing wildfire crisis.
For additional information, contact the Mesa Ranger Station located at 5140 E. Ingram Street, Mesa, Arizona, or contact the station at (480) 610-3300 Monday – Friday between 8 a.m. and noon and from 12:30 - 4:30 p.m.
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