Managers on the Kaibab National Forest are planning a series of prescribed burns north of the Grand Canyon that could begin as early as Tuesday.
The four areas, totaling more than 6,100 acres, are near Jacob Lake, north of Highway 89A, east of Forest Road 248 and west of Forest Road 487.
The “broadcast burns,” as fire officials call them, are designed to reduce overgrown vegetation and help protect local communities, infrastructure and natural resources from wildfire.
Crews will apply fire across a designated area using drip torches and other ignition devices. Managers say the “maintenance burn” will be a low-to-moderate intensity prescribed fire to build a resilient ecosystem.
The area may be closed for several days including a 3.5-mile section of the Arizona National Scenic Trail. A temporary reroute of the trail will be announced before ignitions begin.
Smoke could impact Jacob Lake, Fredonia, Kanab and Highway 89A.
Officials say crews will look for opportunities to burn through May 15 as weather conditions allow.
Last summer the White Sage and Dragon Bravo fires burned more than 200,000 acres on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and on the Kaibab National Forest's North Kaibab Ranger District.
