Forest Service plans controlled burn next week on Mount Charleston
There is a high chance of fire on Mount Charleston next week, but the U.S. Forest Service should have it all under control.
The agency announced plans Friday to burn piles of debris in the upper Cathedral Rock Picnic Area as part of an ongoing effort to open up overgrown parts of the forest and reduce wildfire risks.
The pile burning is slated to start Tuesday, conditions permitting.
Fire managers monitor factors such as temperature, humidity, fuel moisture and wind speed and direction before conducting controlled burns. Keeping a fire from spreading is the primary motivation, but reducing the impact of smoke also is a consideration.
“Air quality considerations are an important part of prescribed fire, and each fire prescription is planned to disperse smoke rapidly and reduce lingering haze,” said Cody Payne, acting fuels assistant fire management officer for Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. “Before each prescribed fire is ignited, fire managers will get approval from the local air quality district in which the burn is to take place.”
The pile burn will be conducted on about 3 acres at the end of state Route 157, high in Kyle Canyon.
Contact Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @RefriedBrean on Twitter.
