2012 Fire Season

[Jim]

Rebooting for the 2012 Fire season. Here comes the smoke, and we now what that means.












I must be blowing it?

[paulhubbard]

Fire restrictions in place in the Coconino Nat Forest.

[azbackpackr]

Question for imike: What do you think will happen in Gila and Aldo Leopold Wilderness areas? I just cancelled on a trip to the "Aldo" over Memorial Day weekend, but the rest of the group, who are my friends, are still going. I emailed the trip leader and suggested he keep tabs on their website, since they could close the area. He's on top of it, and has been watching the website.

[Jim]

Miller reaches 16,000 acres.
Perimeter Map http://hikearizona.com/map.php?QX=774
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOC ... 298092.pdf

Anyone been in this particular area of the forest? I'm curious to know what it looks like on the ground.

The reason containment is taking so long is because, the fire is "burning in remote, steep and rugged terrain in the Gila Wilderness". Last year, in early June, a lightning caused fire in the McKenna Park was suppressed at 1000 acres. That seems counter intuitive given the Gila's wet 2010 winter, the ponderosa pine dominated nature of the area, the previous fire in that area having been in 2003, and the wilderness area. In other words, you would think a lighting fire, in an area that is dependent on fire and had burned 7 years before, would be allowed to progress with minimal containment. This year, when things are super dry, a fire is allowed to burn longer than you might expect.

The Gila writes this, about the fire and fuels:

Fire Behavior is moderate with increased fire activity in the afternoons due to warmer temperatures. The fire is generally burning through grass understory and pine needles.

OK, fine, I get that, but why not designate it a use fire. Why wasn't a similar fire allowed to burn last June? Sooooo many mysteries.

[hippiepunkpirate]

OK, fine, I get that, but why not designate it a use fire. Why wasn't a similar fire allowed to burn last June? Sooooo many mysteries.

Jim, are you allowed to complain this much after you abandoned the forestry business? Not that I don't agree with you.

[Jim]

I'm just confused. Baffled, really. I don't get why in the year (2010) a fire would have been easy to manage, they suppressed it, and in the really dry year, they take their sweet time suppressing a fire. They can't legally designate it a use fire since they listed it as a human caused fire, but they are letting it burn in a what appears to be ponderosa and grass between 7000 and 8000', so they are sort of making it one. Why does asking questions constitute complaining?

[hippiepunkpirate]

Why does asking questions constitute complaining?

To the government it normally does, they don't like being questioned, it isn't the American way. I'm just poking a little fun at you. You don't see the irony?

[Jim]

Pics and other info for the Miller.

[imike]

Question for imike: What do you think will happen in Gila and Aldo Leopold Wilderness areas? I just cancelled on a trip to the "Aldo" over Memorial Day weekend, but the rest of the group, who are my friends, are still going. I emailed the trip leader and suggested he keep tabs on their website, since they could close the area. He's on top of it, and has been watching the website.

it is dry all over New Mexico with really high winds blasting us... I have a bad feeling that they'll be closing everything down soon, until the rains come in the latter part of June. Might pay to contact the specific ranger station and have a conversation with them...

[Jim]

Pushing towards 30,000 acres.

[azbackpackr]

Thanks iMike and Jim_H.

I think that the trip leader is going to be watching it. A friend just returned from there, said very smoky in Gila WA, and river lower than she's ever seen it.

It is going to be a doozy of a year, unless we get some late spring rains.

[nonot]

I was told Picketpost was entirely on fire last weekend, anyone have any info?

[Jim]

Rapid spread yesterday and I expect more today. Another red flag day in the Gila. As this fire moves NE, it gets out into more rugged terrain where control is harder to gain. It would have been nice if fire was allowed in wilderness as it should have been, but well, that is a different thread. This fire now affects popular HAZ trails. NM 15 is closed north of NM 35. With rates of spread as seen yesterday and the drought conditions, it is likely this fire resembled the Schultz Fire. I sure am happy I drove through that area last year. I was not hiking through too many areas that were affected by the fire, but still.


In AZ-
Picket:

[RedRoxx44]

Sad to see, hiked a lot of that area. My last trip over there things looked scary dry.

[PaleoRob]

Noted a large wildfire burning in the San Juans as I was heading back today.

[chumley]

A-S restrictions begin Friday 5/20. That means that all NF land in AZ is a no-fire zone.

Campfire restrictions for Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests
Release Date: May 13, 2011
Contact(s): 928-333-6280

Springerville, AZ – Officials with the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests will implement fire restrictions on Friday, May 20. Due to increasing fire danger, these restrictions are deemed necessary to prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public health and safety.
The restrictions prohibit fires, campfires, charcoal, coal or wood stoves outside of developed campgrounds and limit smoking to within enclosed vehicles or buildings or in developed campgrounds. Pressurized liquid or gas stoves, lanterns, and heaters meeting safety specifications will continue to be allowed.
The fire restrictions will remain in place until the Forest receives significant precipitation. Violation of the prohibitions is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000, imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. Fireworks are always prohibited on National Forest land.
For additional information on fire restrictions on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, please call 928-333-6280. For information on fire restrictions on public lands across Arizona and New Mexico, call 877-864-6985 or see

[Jim]

Noted a large wildfire burning in the San Juans as I was heading back today.

Any idea where? The map doesn't have much on it.

[Jim]

Sad to see, hiked a lot of that area. My last trip over there things looked scary dry.

I consider myself really fortunate to have chosen 2010 as the year I finally made my first entry into the center of the Gila. Following the wet winter, I had so much water and it was lush enough that I never had to carry much (after my first day when I was on a ridge line) and never had to think about fire issues.

Here is a satellite image of the Miller from the 14th. It wasn't putting up as much smoke as it was in the image from the 15th. You can clearly see the dark area of the burn.

Curiously, in close proximity to the Miller, there are brown-tan areas that appear as though they may have been previous large high intensity burns. One NW of the Miller looks like it might be the Bear Fire from 2006. That was the one that burnt around Bear Wallow Mt and did something obscene like 50k acres in a couple of days. I think it is the largest tan area which is west of, and runs out into the large grassy area north of the Gila Wilderness. There are some other smaller, but still large burns around it. Also, it's a little surprising how light in color some of the forested areas are. McKenna Park and the core of the central ponderosa pine uplands don't look very green at all. The grass should be brown as it's been dry, but I expected the trees to cast some green. I believe that is good, since it gives an indication of the open nature of the forest canopy there.

[joebartels]

For anyone that is curious here are the Tonto Fires 2001-2010

[Jim]

You know, this reminds me, did we loose the feature on the dexmap to load fire perimeters? I was trying to find the 2005 Florida in the Santa Ritas, but couldn't.

Also, the Miller is over 72,000 acres and looks to be backing over the Diablo Range into McKenna. Good news, for pondo lovers. If left unchecked and given the wind forecasts, McKenna will experience a combination of flank and head fire. The Feds are wrapping this: [ photo ] on the West Fork, as well as this: [ photo ] , so I expect these areas may burn. It's been just under 8 years since the last widespread McKenna fire, so this would be good news.

[chumley]

Jim- It's in the old version. (along with a few other features that didn't make the upgrade)
[ link is long gone ]

So is the 2009 Water Wheel ... just to cross threads. Funny, it seems that even Joe forgot that was already on the site! You know that HAZ is a treasure trove of info when even he doesn't know it's there!