Oak Wildland Fire Use Update
Incident: Oak Wildland Fire Used for Re
Released: 8/1/2008
The Oak Wildland Fire Use is located about 10 miles south of Williams and has grown to 76 acres. After weeks of evaluation, observation and assessment, fire managers decided Monday to shift the Oak Fire from confinement status to fire use management for resource benefits. The fire is gradually spreading north of Forest Road 129 and south of Rocky Ridge.
The Kaibab National Forest is participating in a pilot program this season testing proposed modifications to the Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy, 2003. The proposed modifications allow fire managers the opportunity to apply the full range of management options on fires on federal lands, except for those fires caused by humans.
Under this pilot program fire managers can monitor new fire starts. In due course, if it is determined that it is appropriate to allow the fire to burn for resource benefits, officials can decide to manage the incident as wildland fire use. The decision to manage the Oak Fire as wildland fire use was based on firefighter and public safety, current and predicted fire activity, weather, topography, fuels and natural resources to be protected.
The Oak Fire started July 12. Since that time, personnel assigned to the fire have observed fire activity, mapped the fire perimeter, assessed the potential for future growth and evaluated the resource objectives that were being met. These objectives include: reducing hazardous fuels, reintroducing fire as a natural agent of change in the ecosystem and decreasing the likelihood of future large, intense fires in this area. This information increasingly supported the decision to shift the fire into a fire use management strategy.
On Wednesday, smoke from the Oak Wildland Fire Use was visible from Williams and the surrounding area. Smoke monitoring equipment is installed in Williams that provides online current air quality information. To access the information on this website, go to: http://www.satguard.com/usfs.
Under 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 information 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.
At the bottom of the graph there is an Air Quality Index that points to the current activity for both the hourly and 24 hour readings. There is also an Air Quality Index Tab on the left hand side where additional health rating information can be found.
The forecast calls for warm and dry conditions to continue through the week. Fire activity is expected to moderately increase during this weather pattern. For additional information, please contact Punky Moore, Fire Information Officer, (928-635-5653). -USFS-
