PHOENIX - To improve wildlife habitat and reduce wildfire intensity, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Phoenix District plans a prescribed burn of cut and piled juniper from 100 acres of the Agua Fria National Monument. BLM fire personnel will burn piles in the Sycamore Mesa area, about five miles northeast of Cordes Junction. Burning may occur over multiple days between March and May as conditions allow.
To ensure public safety, BLM firefighters will ignite the piles when weather conditions are conducive to burning. They will remain on scene to monitor public and resource safety. Area residents may see some light smoke during the burn operation. No local road closures are expected.
By thinning and burning the juniper that has encroached into grasslands, wildlife corridors are opened, predator cover is reduced, and forage for wildlife is improved. It also helps reduce wildfire intensity and spread to nearby communities or sensitive ecosystems when a wildfire occurs in the area.
The BLM appreciates the public’s cooperation in helping prevent unplanned wildfires. To report a wildfire, call 911.
A firefighter ignites a brush pile during a past Sycamore Mesa prescribed burn.
BLM File Photo
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
