AZDEQ- Community Meeting about Arizona Prescribed Fires and Smoke Management

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM), in collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (USFS), will host a hybrid community meeting in Camp Verde in early October to discuss prescribed fire plans and smoke management in Arizona. 

The goal of this meeting is to engage with Arizonans to increase awareness about the benefits and process of conducting prescribed fires, as well as educate our communities about the safe and effective land management practices that help protect people and property and keep forests healthy. While this hybrid meeting will be held in Camp Verde, interested Arizonans from all parts of the state are encouraged to join the meeting virtually.

Prescribed burns are a vital tool in modern forest management, offering numerous benefits to ecosystems and communities alike. By using carefully controlled low-intensity fires, land managers can reduce hazardous fuel buildup and decrease the risk of catastrophic wildfires. These controlled burns also promote forest health and resilience and protect watersheds by clearing out undergrowth, recycling nutrients back into the soil, and creating diverse habitats for wildlife.

“The management of Arizona's legacy landscapes, watersheds, and ecosystems has become very complex and is currently an elevated concern for us all. The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management has statutory responsibility to proactively manage all fire activities including fire suppression and prescribed fire activities to millions of acres of State Trust and private lands. Through strategically developed plans, prescribed fire acts as a cleansing mechanism to ensure our forests and watersheds remain healthy and help reduce the overall intensity of wildfires. We proactively work with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to reduce the impact of prescribed fire smoke through close coordination prior to project work, during the implementation, and after ignitions are completed,” said Roy Hall, DFFM’s Prescribed Fire Officer. 

“We are constantly looking to develop more accurate forecasts of fire and smoke conditions to protect public and firefighter health,” said Ron Sherron, USFS Southwest Regional Smoke Coordinator. “Forest Service smoke research focuses on several key areas including emission characterization, emissions inventories, and smoke impacts. We strive to inform the public and firefighters on what they can do to protect themselves using the best available science collected from this research.”  

While prescribed burns do produce some smoke, ADEQ is dedicated to managing and minimizing its impact. ADEQ works closely with burn managers to choose the best weather conditions for effective burns and optimal smoke dispersion, so Arizona communities can breathe cleaner air.

“By partnering with DFFM and USFS, we're creating an open dialogue on prescribed burns and air quality management that includes all Arizonans,” said ADEQ Air Quality Division Director Daniel Czecholinski. “We're eager to hear directly from the community as we work together to minimize smoke impacts.”

Meeting Details

• Date: Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024
• Time: 6 – 8 p.m.
• Location: Camp Verde Community Library — Terracotta Room
  130 Black Bridge Road
  Camp Verde, AZ 86322
• Virtual Attendance: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3237709242130846560
• Phone-in Option (listen only): 213-929-4212, Webinar Code: 741-670-091

The meeting will feature presentations from key officials representing ADEQ, DFFM, and USFS and offers a unique opportunity for residents to learn about the state's approach to prescribed fires, understand the approval process and gain insights into smoke management techniques. Attendees will have the chance to engage directly with experts and have their questions answered.

Contacts

ADEQ Public Information Officer
Ph: 480-979-1600 (cell) 
Email >

DFFM Public Affairs Officer
Ph: 602-540-1036 (cell)
Email >

USDA Forest Service Public Affairs Officer
Ph: 480-647-8082 (cell)
Email >

About ADEQ

ADEQ is the state agency responsible for protecting and enhancing public health and the environment in Arizona. It oversees programs for air quality, water quality, waste management, and contaminated site cleanups, working to ensure clean air, water, and land for all Arizonans.

About DFFM

DFFM is dedicated to the protection of Arizonans, communities, and wildland resources. It provides fire protection to millions of acres of state and private lands, manages the State's forestry programs, and oversees wildfire prevention and suppression efforts. 

About USDA Forest Service

The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to maintain the health, diversity, and productivity of the country's forests and grasslands for the benefit of current and future generations. The Forest Service manages over 192 million acres of public land, including national forests, grasslands, and research and experimental forests. The land is used for a variety of purposes, such as recreation, timber, grazing, minerals, water, fish, and wildlife.

At over 2.9 million acres, the Tonto National Forest is the largest national forest in Arizona, and the ninth largest national forest among 154 USDA National Forests. The Tonto is one of the most-visited “urban” forests in the United States with 3 million visitors annually. The forest’s boundaries are Phoenix to the south, the Mogollon Rim to the north and the San Carlos and Fort Apache Indian reservations to the east. One of the primary purposes for establishing the Tonto National Forest in 1905 was to protect its watersheds around reservoirs. The forest produces an average of 350,000 acre-feet of water each year. Six major reservoirs on the forest have the combined capacity to store more than 2 million acre-feet of water. Management efforts are directed at protecting both water quality and watershed and riparian area conditions. Balancing conflicting resource needs and providing for comprehensive multi-use management, consistent with the conservation ethic, is a continuous objective in administering the resources of the Tonto National Forest.