Conditions permitting, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge will be conducting a series of prescribed fires, beginning
May 14 and continuing until the end of the month. The goal of treating 22,000 acres during the 12-day window, will set a 2003 historic mark for prescribed fire in Arizona. The Refuge is taking a proactive management approach in using fire as a tool now in order to reduce the severity of wildfires in the future.
Prescribed burning, using an approved plan along with adequate firefighting resources, is the best method in preventing loss from a wildfire while enhancing critical wildlife habitats. Firefighters from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Arivaca Fire Department and the Tohono OWP MultinationalA e!Odham Nation will be assisting refuge fire management personnel throughout the burn.
Historically, natural fires occurred every five to ten years but fire suppression efforts, along with development and grazing, have altered the natural cycle. Mesquite trees have flourished with the absence of fire and these trees continue to dominate the Refuge, choking out once open Sonoran grassland.
Prescribed burning reduces the total amount of vegetation and promotes native species that have naturally evolved with fire. Refuge biologists and fire personnel worked together to develop a plan that will benefit wildlife and promote the habitat needs of endangered species such as the Masked Bobwhite Quail. Prescribed burning treatments while expensive, may cost as little as one tenth that of a large scale, wildfire suppression effort. All burn plans incorporate National standards developed by qualified and experienced fire management professionals. They are extensively reviewed and must be approved by the Refuge Manager prior to ignition.
Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge fire management personnel will closely monitor weather and fuel conditions to maximize results and minimize smoke impacts on adjacent communities. Burns will only be conducted during the daytime hours. Highway 286 and the Arivaca-Sasabe road may be heavily impacted by smoke for short periods of time. Smoke may also be visible to residents in Arivaca, Sasabe, Three Points, Green Valley, Nogales and Tucson in southern, Arizona.
The Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, the Arivaca Fire Department and Coronado National Forest personnel conducted four successful prescribed burns around the town of Arivaca in March. The March burns targeted key areas where wildfires could threaten the community.
