Prescott National Forest Pile Burning Planned in September on the Bradshaw Ranger District

PRESCOTT, AZ, Sept. 10, 2025 — Fire Managers on the Bradshaw Ranger District plan to conduct a prescribed fire, primarily pile burning, on Big Bug Mesa – pending favorable conditions. These machine and hand piles are from recent hazardous fuels reduction and thinning projects. Ignitions will continue through the month of September if prescribed burning conditions remain favorable.

Expect smoke to be light and visible from multiple locations including Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Dewey-Humboldt and surrounding areas. As nighttime temperatures cool, smoke may linger in drainages and valleys. In the interest of safety when driving, slow down and turn on your headlights when you encounter smoke on the road, obey all traffic signs, and use caution when traveling in the vicinity of prescribed burns as firefighters and fire-related traffic will be in the area.  Go to https://fire.airnow.gov/ to find more detailed information about air quality.

The Prescott National Forest’s land management strategy is centered on long-term forest health and includes reducing forest fuels and using prescribed fire on the landscape. Reducing hazardous fuels will help reduce the threat of high-severity, high-intensity wildfire to the public, adjacent private property, and neighboring communities.

Fire managers will evaluate weather conditions in the hours before a burn begins. If conditions warrant, scheduled prescribed fire activities may be canceled. All prescribed fire activity is dependent on factors laid out in the burn plan, including the availability of personnel and equipment, weather conditions, fuel moisture, potential smoke impacts, and approval from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

Stay informed about the scheduled prescribed fires through the forest website and social media channels. We will notify county emergency management officials when burning begins.  

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology– and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.

The public can obtain information via the following:

• Prescott National Forest Web Site: www.fs.fed.us/r3/prescott
• Follow us on Facebook or Twitter
• Prescott NF Fire Information 928-925-1111
• Local Ranger Station: Bradshaw Ranger District 928-443-8000
• Forest Supervisors Office 928-777-2200

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