Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests implement Stage 2 Fire Restrictions

 SPRINGERVILLE— Due to increased fire danger and for public safety, the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests has implemented Stage 2 Fire Restrictions beginning Thursday, June 25, at 6 a.m.

All partners in the White Mountain Fire Restrictions Coordinating Group have decided to go into Stage 2 Fire Restrictions for public safety, given the increased wildfire potential and fire danger.  This group consists of the White Mountain Apache Tribe, the Arizona Bureau of Land Management, Arizona State Forestry, Apache and Navajo Counties, the Cities of Heber-Overgaard, Show Low, and Pinetop/Lakeside, and the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests.  This group is continually engaged in adapting our fire restrictions in response to fire danger as we progress into the spring and summer season.

Stage 2 fire restrictions prohibit the following:

·         Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire, campfire, or stove fire, including charcoal, coal, and briquettes, even in developed recreation sites. The only exception is using a stove or grill fueled solely by pressurized liquid petroleum gas (LPG).

·         Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three (3) feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of any flammable material.

·         During the hours of 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., operating a generator, chainsaw, or other equipment powered by an internal combustion engine for felling, bucking, skidding, processing, road building, and woodcutting or firewood gathering capable of igniting a fire, using an explosive, and welding, or operating any acetylene or other torch with an open flame.

Restrictions and closures typically remain in effect until the area receives significant, widespread precipitation.

Additional information regarding the fire restrictions closure order and an accompanying map can be found on the forests’ website https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/apache-sitgreaves/alerts.

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, and 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.