10/13/2009 2:32:00 PM Kaibab National Forest prepares to
burn Ten-X prescribed project
Staff Report Grand Canyon News
WILLIAMS, Ariz. - Depending on weather conditions and approval from Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, fire managers are prepared to implement the Ten-X Prescribed Burn southeast of Tusayan on the Kaibab National Forest. According to the weather forecast, favorable wind and humidity are predicted for Wednesday, when the 2,000 acre project will start.
The Ten-X project is located four miles southeast of Tusayan along Forest Roads 302 and 303. Previous burned areas, including the 2008 X Fire, and 2009 Ruby and Rae fires, lie adjacent to the Ten-X project.
The burn is scheduled to begin Wednesday and to continue over a period of days or weeks depending on weather and smoke production.
Smoke will be visible in Tusayan and along portions of Highway 64. Predicted winds should transport smoke away from Tusayan.
To provide for public safety, a temporary detour will reroute users from Watson Tank onto Forest Road 303 for about a mile, in the event that smoke impacts the trail.
Forest officials said that prescribed burn projects are part of an ongoing effort to ensure that future fires in the area remain at a lower level of intensity, thereby protecting firefighters and the community. Implementation of these projects is contingent on suitable weather and Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) approval.
For more information on our prescribed burns please visit the Inciweb at http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1878/ or contact Punky Moore, Fire Information Officer at (928) 635-5653.
Reader Comments
Posted: Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Article comment by:
STOP THE BURNS
Oh no, here we go again. Haven't we had enough smoke in this area? Every one I know is sick and tired of the Forest service forcing their smoke on us. They are making people sick, ruining our scenic view and destroying our property values. The worst part is that they plan to burn for the next 20 years whether we like it or not.
Posted: Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Article comment by:
Prescribed burn smoke kills people
Prescribed burns are deadly to children and elderly:
In the early 1950's, everyone thought that the nuclear bomb tests in Nevada were a good idea until people begin dying from radiation poisoning. Today, we face a similar crisis. The U.S. Forest Service has convinced some people that prescribed burns and managed wildfires are good methods of maintaining forest health when they are actually two of the deadliest acts known to mankind.
The smoke emitted from prescribed burns and managed wildfires is unfiltered wood smoke that is extremely dangerous to unborn fetuses, infant children and elderly people. Wood smoke pollution is 12 times more carcinogenic than cigarette smoke, attacks the body cells up to 40 times longer, and kills at least 40,000 adults and children every year. We know that when prescribed burns increase, smoke particle levels go up, people die with children and the elderly being the most vulnerable.
Exposure to prescribed burn smoke increase children's risk of lower respiratory infections such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and has been linked to psychological disorders and toxic damage to the nervous system and the brain in developing fetuses and young children. The smoke particles are so tiny that they go deep into the lungs causing structural damage and chemical changes to the child's lung tissue. The tiny particles then pass through the lungs into the blood stream entering the child's systemic circulation causing illness and premature death. Studies show that wood smoke exposure can prevent the proper development of an unborn fetus, prevent the proper development of internal organs in infant children, depress the immune system, damage the nervous system, damage the brain, damage the layer of cells in the child's lungs that protect and cleanse the airways, and cause early childhood death.
For vulnerable populations, such as elderly people, people with asthma, chronic respiratory disease and those with cardiovascular disease, prescribed burn smoke is particularly harmful, even short exposures can prove fatal. The American Lung Association recently published an annotated bibliography of recent studies of the health effects of air pollution linking wood smoke and air pollution with lung cancer, heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, congenital heart defects, asthma, and brain damage. They identify the elderly, diabetics, asthma patients, those with congestive heart failure being at increased risk. Reference: www.prescribedburns.com
