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Forest Service uses ping-pong igniters

On Thursday, the Forest Service used helicopters and ping-pongs to ignite a prescribed burn in the Stage Burn area, 10 miles south/southwest of Williams.

“They drop little spears of potassium permanganate, which is injected with anti-freeze and it has a chemical reaction that combusts and starts the litter (pine needles that line the forest floor),” said Fred Ellis, Kaibab Helitack crewmember for the Forest Service.

The Forest Service is using the technique for safety reasons, Ellis said.

“On that terrain, you can cover a lot more ground without having people on steep rocky ground,” he said.

Charlie Nixon, program manger for the Helitack crew and 24-year veteran with the Forest Service, said safety is the key to any aerial ignition.

“It all depends on weather,” he said. “For this particular burn, it’s cost effective and safer.”

Before every ignition, the Forest Service does a compliance check with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Nixon said the precipitation the area received last week allowed for the aerial ignition. He added the helicopters used are contracted from Papillon Helicopters at the Grand Canyon.

“Stage was scheduled to burn this past fall and winter; however, the weather patterns prevented ignition,” said Larry Anderson, fire management officer. “These fires are designed to reduce hazardous fuels, improve wildlife habitat, improve mature ponderosa pine and oak tree vigor and improve forest ecosystem health.”

The Helitack crews also work on controlling fires.

“We did use the helicopter some for the Pumpkin Fire,” Nixon said. “There were five crews doing aerial ignition burning.”

He said once the Pumpkin Center Fire was burning it was crews like his that helped with the burning the perimeter control lines.

The reason for the prescribed burns is to improve the forest, said Chris Marks, fuels assistant for the Forest Service.

“We’re just trying to reduce all the hazardous fuels close to private lands and homes primarily.

“And also we’re trying to restore some to pre-settler conditions.”

Marks said right now there is a huge hazardous fuels buildup, which could lead to dangerous wildfires.

“By getting it back to pre-settler conditions — where the fires were a lot less intense — wildfires will be a lot less severe, less intense and a lot less destructive,” he said.

Because of last year’s devastating fire season, the Forest Service received extra funds this year.

“Last year our final budget was $3.3 million,” Anderson. “This year it’s $6.1 million — it’s almost doubled but not quite.”

The extra funds are being put to good use, Anderson said.

“We’ve done on the ground fuels management programs,” he said. “We’ve burned 5,000-6,000 acres in the Williams-Tusayan areas and we’re shooting for 7,000.”

The Forest Service has also hired more firefighters for this season, Anderson said, and are looking ahead.

“We stepped up our fire prevention planning for future programs,” he said.

To date the Stage, Martine, Scott and Tusayan West areas have been treated.


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