Fire
Prescott National Forest is a complex mix of vegetation, topography, and the wildland-urban interface where residents and business exist adjacent to the Forest’s boundary. This complexity, coupled with thousands of visitors to the forest and lightning during the monsoon season, increases potential for unwanted fires. Unwanted fires can occur at times when conditions are at their worst and severely damage things we value: homes, trees, wildlife habitat, scenery, and clean water sources.
Fire Information & Restrictions
Fire restrictions, wildfires, prescribed fires and wildland fire terminology.
Fire Prevention
Fire is a natural part of many ecosystems on the Prescott National Forest; however, wildfires that ignite in certain conditions--such as the hot, dry windy days preceding the monsoon rains that usually start in July--can be catastrophic. Prevention, as they say, is the best medicine.
Fire Resources
Prescott National Forest is an important hub of wildland firefighting resources in Central Arizona. The Prescott Fire Center and Henry Y. H. Kim Aviation Facility in Prescott, Arizona supports many fire management functions including the Prescott Hotshot Crew, the Prescott Helitack Crew, a National Incident Support Cache, an Air Tanker Base, and the Prescott Interagency Dispatch Center.
Burning & Thinning to Restore Forest Health
As elsewhere in the United States, Prescott National Forest is comprised of fire-adapted or fire-dependent ecosystems. Along with prescribed fire, the Forest uses other tools and methods to reduce fuels and restore forest health, such as thinning dense vegetation with chainsaws and the use of large, low-impact mulching equipment. These mechanical treatments are often used where and when prescribed fire is unavailable or in an attempt to reduce smoke emissions that can be generated by prescribed fire.