Single Incident Information

Fire managers on the Tusayan Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest are planning to conduct prescribed fires throughout the spring of 2024 as conditions allow. 

Exact ignition dates are unknown as burning is dependent upon daily agency administrator approval and conditions within the ranges outlined in each prescribed fire plan. However, we are committed to providing the public with ongoing updates and as much advance notice as possible. Sign up to receive Kaibab NF news releases in your email.

Our land management strategy is centered on long-term forest health, including reducing forest fuels and using prescribed fire on the landscape. Prescribed fires help reduce hazardous fuels that have accumulated due to drought, climate change, insects and disease, and decades of fire suppression. Fire also recycles nutrients back to the soil, promotes the growth of trees, wildflowers, and other plants, and improves habitat for threatened and endangered species. These efforts align with the Forest Service’s 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy which aims to increase prescribed fire and other treatments to improve forest resiliency for generations to come.

We recognize that smoke can impact residents, visitors, and our fire personnel. We will continue to coordinate closely with our partners and communities to minimize smoke impacts as much as possible. All prescribed fires on the Kaibab National Forest are subject to Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. The department’s Air Quality Division: Smoke Management webpage provides details about its air quality program.

Tusayan Ranger District

• Blue Stem Project
  • Location: Located on the eastern side of the Tusayan Ranger District, 16 miles east-southeast of the Town of Tusayan at Russell Tank;
  • Acres: up to 2,724 acres
  • Notes: Minimal smoke impacts are expected, temporary re-route of the Arizona Trail around the burn unit.