Maintaining the Role of Fire in the Rincon Mountains

Firefighters performed a test fire to see if conditions were favorable before proceeding with the prescribed burn on 5/14/19,

NPS photo

Fire managers at Saguaro National Park conducted a prescribed burn on Mica Mountain in the Saguaro Wilderness of the Rincon Mountain District (Saguaro East) in May 2019.

Fire managers treated over 100 acres from Bonita trail east to the Fire Loop trail with prescribed fire on Tuesday, May 14, 2019. Firefighters waited for conditions including wind, temperature, and relative humidity to be favorable before resuming ignitions. Approximately 170 additional acres were treated on Saturday, May 18 from the Spud Rock and Mica Meadow Trails east to the Bonita Trail. Vegetation in the area was predominately ponderosa pine. Elevation in the area ranged from approximately 7,950 to 8,670 feet.

Lightning-ignited fires have historically burned through the high elevation ponderosa pine forests of southeastern Arizona, but past fire suppression has created unnatural conditions with build-ups of downed trees and dense underbrush in many places. Fire managers use periodic low to moderate intensity prescribed fires to maintain healthy forests in the Rincon Mountains and to prevent large intense wildfires.

The park’s prescribed fire program began in 1984 with the 40-acre Chimenea Prescribed burn.

To learn more about Saguaro National Park’s Fire management program, visit https://www.nps.gov/sagu/learn/nature/wildlandfire.htm.

View of the Mica Bowl prescribed burn from Spud Rock, May 18, 2019.

NPS Photo