Oak Wildland Fire Use Update
Incident: Oak Wildland Fire Used for Resource Benefit
Released: 8/3/2008
The Oak Wildland Fire Use (WFU) is located 10 miles south of Williams, AZ and has grown to 414 acres. It is primarily moving south of Rocky Ridge and along both sides of Forest Road 354.
Wildland fire use management is often a long duration project. While the Oak WFU remains within a predetermined area and achieves specific land management objectives, fire officials will continue to manage it for resource benefits. Some of these resource benefits include: reintroducing fire as a natural part of the ecosystem, reducing the size and intensity of future fires in this area and improving forest health.
The Oak Fire started July 12 and was initially managed under a confinement strategy. After weeks of evaluation, observation and assessment, fire managers decided to shift the Oak Fire from confinement status to fire use management for resource benefits. This decision is authorized in a pilot program testing proposed modifications to the Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy, 2003. The Kaibab National Forest is one of 30 test sites participating in the pilot program this season.
The weather will be an important factor in the duration of the Oak WFU. There is an increased chance of showers and thunderstorms for the next week. If the fire receives precipitation, activity will naturally decrease. At the fire's current size, it will take a considerable amount of precipitation to extinguish the fire. Managers expect the Oak WFU to continue burning slowly during moist weather conditions and more rapidly during hot, dry conditions as the season progresses.
Today, personnel assigned to the fire are monitoring fire activity along Forest Road 354 and scouting the proposed northeast boundary.
Smoke from the fire may be visible occasionally along stretches of I-40, in Williams and in nearby communities. Cloud cover may hamper good smoke dispersal. For more information about air quality in the Williams area, visit the following website: http://www.satguard.com/usfs.
Under the heading Real Time Data, click on Location; choose Arizona from the list on the left and then click on the red dot near Flagstaff to see 24 hour data. Please note that the dark blue line gives the 24 hour running average air quality for the area. The light blue line gives hourly readings which can spike up and down depending on the time of day, traffic and temperature inversions.
For more information, please contact Punky Moore, Fire Information Officer, (928-635-5653).
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