HikeArizona.COM

National Forests
Apache-Sitgreaves No Restrictions starting Fri Jul 16th
Coconino No Restrictions starting Fri Jul 16th
Coronado No Restrictions starting Fri Jul 9th
Kaibab No Restrictions starting Fri Jul 16th
Prescott No Restrictions starting Wed Jul 21st
Tonto No Restrictions starting Wed Jul 21st

State Trust
No Restrictions except Stage I in Yavapai County only

BLM
Nothing reported on HAZ thus far.

Per usual; check with the land managing agency before any trip for the best results.

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Update: A-S NF enacting a full closure beginning 6/24.

Update: A-S NF goes to Stage 2 beginning 6/11

Apache-Sitgreaves are the first National Forests in the state to enact restrictions, effective tomorrow May 7, 2021.
These Stage 1 Restrictions are set to expire December 31, 2021.
Read the official forest order here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO ... 909204.pdf

The public land agencies in the Southwest have made yet another attempt at consolidating restriction information in one (woefully poor attempt at an) easy to use website.
Needless to say, it does not yet reflect the announced ASNF restriction. Perhaps it will tomorrow when it takes effect?
You may visit this consolidated source of fire restriction data at this link.

The sad thing is that the people who will end up adhering to these restrictions are the ones who are the least likely to let a fire get out of hand. It's the ones who think that the rules don't apply to them who will choose poor places to build a fire, build it too big, and not properly extinguish it.

@andrewp
Agree, but at least the park service is trying to get information out to the public to those that are law abiding citizens and want to find the info without having to pick up the phone. USFS troubles with developing/maintaining web sites is nothing new.

nonot wrote:at least the park service is trying to get information out to the public to those that are law abiding citizens and want to find the info without having to pick up the phone.

I like this consolidated website idea!

This month I will soon be $paying$ for out of state plane tickets for one of my Grandkids to join me this June'21 for a week of Vehicle Camping/Hiking on our Mogollon Rim. If this website is regularly updated by the F/S, and I continue to check this website status regularly, I will hopefully get a jump on being able to follow the present "Fire Stage Level Restrictions" which, this so dry year, could include a possible Coconino National Forest Closure like we had in June'2018. I would then, ASAP, plan to take action to cancel this trip as unfortunately, I will have no backup plan.

@Grasshopper
I'm out of the prediction business when it comes to FS restrictions, but there's still snow on north-facing slopes in sheltered drainages up there. It's not as wet as I've seen it in spring, but there's water flowing in most of the canyons and bright green grass growing in the sunny spots. At the moment, I would think a complete closure is an outlier in the next 4-6 weeks. Without additional rain between now and then, I think Stage 2 by mid/late-June is good bet though.

@chumley
Should we start a pool on when the different forests close?

UPDATE: Stage 2 begins 6/11

Prescott National Forest announces Stage 1 restrictions to begin Friday May 14
https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/prescott ... ?aid=65854

Edit/correction: previous report from Sedona Fire refers to non-FS land in the Sedona Fire district. Coconino NF has not officially announced restrictions yet.

Tonto? paging Tonto....

friendofThundergod wrote:Tonto

I think their management strategy is to let the whole forest burn to a pile of ash so the crowds that they have no control of anyway will just go somewhere else.

@chumley
No surprise from the worst run national forest in AZ. ;)

[ Tonto NF and Land Management ]

@friendofThundergod
Maybe they're listening to the science...?

UPDATE: Tonto in Stage 2 beginning 6/11

friendofThundergod wrote:paging Tonto....

...And there it is! Tonto National Forest will implement Stage 1 restrictions beginning Friday May 14
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tonto/ne ... EPRD910465

I've seen two interviews with national forest fire officials today who indicate that Coconino and Kaibab will also align with A-S, Prescott, and Tonto along with agencies including BLM and State Land to be consistent with Stage 1 beginning on Friday. When I see the official orders published, I'll post them here.

Update: Kaibab goes to FULL CLOSURE beginning Wednesday 6/23 at 8am.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO ... 924929.pdf

Update: Kaibab goes to Stage 2 on 6/11.

The Kaibab National Forest will implement Stage 1 restrictions beginning Friday May 14.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/kaibab/a ... ?aid=65881

chumley wrote:When I see the official orders published, I'll post them here.

You are taking all the suspense away from needing to open daily, the original "consolidated source of fire restriction data" at your posted link

I don't know that Coronado is maybe the worst run forest branch. I see no restriction orders in place yet. Whole slopes of scrub oak near the border dead and or dying. Tinderbox just waiting to happen.

RedRoxx44 wrote: Whole slopes of scrub oak near the border dead and or dying. Tinderbox just waiting to happen.

Plus ridiculously high winds combined with historically low moisture. Fingers crossed that nothing major happens down here this year, but the odds on that are not good.

But give Coronado a break. They're still having trouble figuring out how to keep the Catalinas closed.

Update 6/21: Coconino will enact a FULL FOREST CLOSURE effective Wednesday 6/23.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coconino ... EPRD924914

Update 6/8: Coconino will enact Stage 2 restrictions Friday 6/11. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coconino ... EPRD920362

Coconino National Forest will enact Stage 1 restrictions beginning Friday May 14.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coconino ... EPRD910580

(they had to wait to announce it until they finished their prescribed burn yesterday ... it's bad optics to ask the public not to burn when you yourself are burning! )

tonto certainly doesn't have this problem either.

how many square miles of moonscape were they responsible for creating?

Cool, now let's see everyone go quickly to stage two!

cactuscat wrote:stage two

I'm not an experienced professional land manager or fire manager, so I literally have no expertise in this area for which these decisions are made,* but the primary change from stage 1 to stage 2 is the prohibition of campfires in developed campgrounds. Can you think of a single wildfire that ever started from escaping a forest service fire ring at a developed campground?

* Coconino has a very informative page on the decision-making process involved in implementing restrictions: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coconino ... rdb5339123