North Rim Fire Managers Make Plans for Fall Pile Burning

North Rim Fire Managers Make Plans for Fall Pile Burning
Date: September 21, 2012
Contact: Shannan Marcak, 928-638-7958

Grand Canyon, Ariz. - Fire managers on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park are making plans to burn piles of woody debris over the next 30 days as weather conditions allow.

The piles are located in three primary locations: near the North Rim employee housing area, along the northern park boundary west of the entrance station, and along the W1 road west of the Basin.

The piles consist primarily of small diameter tree trunks, small branches, twigs and needles. Near the North Rim employee housing area, the piles were constructed during fuels reduction projects intended to create defensible space in the wildland urban interface. Debris piles in the other areas are the result of fuels reduction projects conducted along roadways, other infrastructure and potentially at-risk resources in preparation for future prescribed fires.

Park visitors may see fire vehicles and personnel in the vicinity when piles are being burned, and may see open flames or smell smoke. Piles will be monitored until they are completely out.

Smoke impacts from these pile burning projects are expected to be minimal. Coordination with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is underway.

For questions regarding the North Rim's pile burning projects, please contact Aaron Fritzer, North Rim Fire Operations Supervisor at 928-638-7949. For more on Grand Canyon National Park's fire management program, please visit the park's web site at http://www.nps.gov/grca/parkmgmt/firemanagement.htm.