Forest Service to close Coronado National Forest June 9

kgun9.com/story/14847782/us…

Mount Lemmon seems like it'll be off-limits until fire conditions improve...

Update:
A friend of mine sent me this:

Sky hasn't fallen just yet
called the forest service and they said that the closure on the 9th isn't definite
they haven't set a date yet and they don't know if they even will close the forest down
when they do decide (apparently end of the day) it will be posted here:
fs.fed.us/r3/coronado/

I haven't heard anything official on this possible closure, but it would not surprise me at all. Fire officials in SE and E Arizona are facing extreme fire potential particularly with these red flag conditions. The Apache Sitgreaves Forest to the north of Tucson is closed due to the Wallow Fire. Currently with this fire around 244,000 acres of timber has burned in some spectacular Rim country and the number of acres burned will likely be much higher in the coming days. It would not surprise me if other Arizona forests are closed in the coming weeks. Firefighting resources are already stretched quite thin in our region.

A couple of significant climbing areas have already been burned (possibly by climbers) in the Southwest this summer. Please exercise caution with any sort of ignition source in our national forests and obey all forest closures.

Looks like the axe has fallen. Maybe we can get "special-use permits" for certain areas:

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Coronado Forest To Close June 9

Due to Extreme Fire Danger

Tucson, AZ (June 6, 2011) – Due to extreme fire danger and concern for public safety, the Coronado National Forest will be closed to all public use beginning at noon on Thursday, June 9 (36 CFR 261.52[e]).

The temporary closure applies to all ranger districts of the Coronado National Forest, and includes visitor centers, campgrounds, picnic areas, trails, summer cabins, organization camps and all other public uses. District Rangers may authorize use for specifically permitted activities through Special-Use Permits. Violation of the closure is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both.

On the Santa Catalina Ranger District, the Catalina Highway (Mt. Lemmon Highway) will remain open during daylight hours so visitors may access Summerhaven atop Mt. Lemmon. Vehicles may not stop along the highway, and must use it strictly to access Summerhaven. The road will be closed at night.

This closure will be lifted when significant moisture is received to reduce the wildfire threat to manageable levels.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
This is from the District website:

fs.fed.us/r3/coronado/

Arghh...

I'm going back to Canada :)

This begs the question, who wants to climb Tuesday or Wednesday?!

Tuesday or Wednesday?

Think I'm gonna have to make it Tuesday and Wednesday

With the temporary closure of Mt Lemmon where is everyone going to get their climbing fix? What areas are climbable during the summer that don't require a 4-5 hour drive?

I'm lazy and not too excited about driving to Northern Arizona every weekend.

A few ideas:

Atlantis @ Queen Creek
Rough Rider & North Buttress @ The Homestead

Hendrixson wrote: What areas are climbable during the summer that don't require a 4-5 hour drive? I'm lazy and not too excited about driving to Northern Arizona every weekend.

This is the biggest reason why living in the middle of the state is so nice. Flag, Winslow/Jacks, top of Lemmon; all about the same drive.

Hopefully "significant moisture" is upon us soon!

John, or anyone, do you know if Milagrosa falls within the forest boundary? Comparing the map from your guide to googlemaps, it looks as though the western 2/3 of the Main Wall falls outside of the boundary. But I don't know if googlemaps' depiction of the boundary is accurate.

Charles Vernon wrote:John, or anyone, do you know if Milagrosa falls within the forest boundary? Comparing the map from your guide to googlemaps, it looks as though the western 2/3 of the Main Wall falls outside of the boundary. But I don't know if googlemaps' depiction of the boundary is accurate.

Milagrosa? If you're willing to climb in that kind of heat then you have a lot of options still open. (I guess it would probably be fine on a north facing wall until just before noon.)

A friend and I are camping at The Reef of Rocks tonight, making a last ditch effort to get in some climbing.
(edit) Partner bailed.

I have never had to consider whether La Milagrosa Canyon is part of Coronado National Forest. I do not have a definitive answer. Sorry.

Melagrosa is not a part of Coronado and you can climb there all you want. Happy slip and sliding. I would consider Rocks and Ropes during the summer any day over Melagrosa.

From my office window - just saw a new smoke plume start up in the north Mules just south of the Stronghold. These are dark times...

Daryl,

I would guess you are seeing the plume off the Horseshoe 2 fire burning in the Chiricauha Mts. It's been making some major runs the last couple days and is now somewhere around 110,000 acres.
The Wallow fire up near Alpine continues to rage out of control and soon may become the largest wildfire in state history. My associates tell me it reminds them of the fire behavior seen on the Yellowstone (1988) fires.
It's going to be a long month for the firefighters and residents of this part of the country.

A quick look at my copy of the coronado forest map indicates that the climbing in milagrosa canyon is inside the national forest.

The horseshoe 2 plume has been a permanent fixture on our horizon down here for weeks resembling the Mt. St. Helens cloud. The new one yesterday was in the north Mules which is the range west of the Chiricauhas and south of the Dragoons. As of this morning, has fizzled out thankfully. Another one started up yesterday down in Mexico southwest of the tip of the Coronado monument near Milpillas. Last night from our roof, we could see the flames raging and illuminating the smoke for hundreds of feet into the air as it made its way directly toward us. It looked like something you would see in a movie. Time for me to tap into my Native American heritage and start rain dancing or something.

Here are the details. Sorry guys! I hope it rains soon and they relax things a bit:

From: Heidi Schewel
Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2011 3:03 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: NEWS RELEASE: Coronado National Forest Closure Refined - Exemptions Added on a Case-by-Case Basis

Effective Immediately
CONTACT: Heidi Schewel

For News Media Use Only

CORONADO NATIONAL FOREST CLOSURE REFINED
Exemptions Added on Case-by-Case Basis

TUCSON, AZ (June 8, 2011) – Due to extreme fire danger and concern for public safety, the Coronado National Forest will implement an Emergency Area Fire Closure (see below) beginning at noon on Thursday, June 9 which will close the Forest to public use with exemptions (see below).

“We understand the impacts that this closure will have on the public being able to use the National Forest for recreation, business and general use,”
said Coronado National Forest Supervisor Jim Upchurch. “The conditions call for cooperation and compliance until weather patterns allow for sufficient moisture to reduce the hazard. We appreciate the support we have received in this effort.”

PROHIBITIONS:

Pursuant to 16 USC 551 and 36 CFR 261.50(a), the following acts are prohibited in the area described as ALL public lands under the jurisdiction and proclaimed boundaries of the Coronado National Forest in the Arizona Counties of Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Cochise and Graham, and the New Mexico County of Hidalgo County:

1. Going into or being upon the Coronado National Forest. 36 CFR
261.52(e).
2. Smoking in the Coronado National Forest. 36 CFR 261.52(c).

The temporary closure applies to all ranger districts of the Coronado National Forest, and includes visitor centers, campgrounds, picnic areas, trails, summer cabins, organization camps and all other public uses not exempted below. District Rangers may authorize use for specifically permitted activities through letters of specific exemption from the closure. Violation of the closure is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both.

To accommodate public recreation use while meeting concerns over the unprecedented fire danger, the Forest will provide for limited use of Sabino Canyon and Mt. Lemmon in the exemptions below.

EXEMPTIONS:

Pursuant to 36 CFR 261.50(e), the following persons are exempt from Prohibition 1 only (exempt persons are still prohibited from smoking on the
Coronado):

1. Persons with a Forest Service letter of permission specifically
authorizing the otherwise prohibited act or omission.
2. Any Federal, State, or local law enforcement officer or member of
an organized rescue or firefighting force in the performance of an
official duty.
3. Forest Service employees in the performance of an official duty.
4. Owners and residents of private lands within the boundary of the
Coronado National Forest.
5. Persons visiting the Sabino Canyon Visitor Center between the
hours of dawn and dusk and persons using the paved Sabino Canyon
Road between the hours of dawn and dusk.
6. Persons using the Catalina Highway for between the hours of dawn
and dusk for non-stop access through the restricted area to the
Ski Valley complex, the Palisades Visitor Center, and private
lands at Summerhaven.
7. Persons travelling on State Route 83 (Sonoita Highway), State
Route 82 (Nogales-Sonoita Highway), State Route 366 (Swift Trail),
State Route 289 (Ruby Road), or County roads through the Coronado
National Forest unless a road is specifically closed by the agency
managing that road; all National Forest System roads are closed on
the Coronado.

If noncompliance becomes an issue, exemptions to the closure may be changed. The closure will be lifted when significant moisture is received to reduce the wildfire threat to manageable levels.

Rationale for Closure
The Forest is faced with an unprecedented fire season this year, with extreme fire danger and over 200,000 acres burned across the Forest. Our national resources to fight fire are being strained to the limit. Fuels (grass, shrubs, trees, ground debris) on the Coronado are at record levels for dryness. Kiln-dried lumber sold in hardware stores is at 12% moisture content. The large fuels on the Coronado are at 4% moisture content. The smaller fuels are drier. All are extremely flammable.

There are a number of indexes fire officials track to predict how fire will burn. One that is related to fuel dryness is called the energy release component (ERC). This is the computed total heat release per unit area (British thermal units per square foot) within the flaming front at the head of a moving fire. Currently the Coronado is at the 97th percentile, with the 100th percentile indicating the most heat that could be released from a fire. Fuels are expected to burn at 100% of their potential ERCs with extreme fire behavior.

Another index officials track is the probability of ignition. This represents the chance that a firebrand will cause an ignition when it lands on receptive fuels. The probability of ignition on the Coronado is 100%, which means any firebrand to hit the ground where fuels are present would start a wildfire.

A third index officials track is the burning index. This represents an estimate of the potential difficulty of fire containment. A burning index over 40 would indicate flame lengths over four feet high, which would exclude the use of hand tools to fight the fire. With hand tools excluded, fire engines and air support would be optional tools for fire suppression.
Based on recent indexes in the Tucson vicinity the lowest burning index has been 80 (eight foot flame lengths), and the highest 130 (13 foot flame lengths). The fire behavior resulting under such conditions is classified as “extreme” and is exceedingly difficult to fight.

These numbers add up to what is happening with Coronado wildfires. Fires have grown quickly and have been difficult to manage. Several fires in May and June have grown in excess of 10,000 acres in an afternoon. Aircraft and indirect tactics have been most successful but have still been difficult to manage because of extreme conditions. (Indirect attack is a method of suppression in which the control line is located along natural fuelbreaks, natural breaks in topography or at considerable distance from the fire, and the intervening fuel is burned out.) Direct tactics have had limited success due to fire behavior and rapid rates of spread. (Direct attack is any treatment applied directly to burning fuel such as wetting, smothering, or chemically quenching the fire. In this case firefighters work the active edge of the fire.)

The Coronado has been under fire restrictions for three weeks. Overall there have been several reports of noncompliance with the restrictions, which is one consideration for the closure. Noncompliance not only poses the threat of wildfire, it jeopardizes public safety, as many of the sky islands have remote or limited access, which would hamper evacuation efforts if a wildfire did occur. Scarcity of firefighting resources due to multiple large fire activity is another factor considered, accompanied by the 100% probability of ignition, and the high burning index and ERC which indicate should a firebrand hit the ground, a wildfire would result which would be extremely difficult to control, with limited availability of suppression resources.

(See attached file: 2011 0608 CNF Refined Closure.docx)

Heidi Schewel
Communications Staff Officer

Red wrote: This is the biggest reason why living in the middle of the state is so nice.

LMAO, you are kidding right ?

Unfortunately, it's only been a matter of time before most of western forests flame on. But to hear the guys actually fighting them describing them like the Yellowstone conflaguration ! That's scary stuff!

Mucho thanks to all our smoke jumpers and hot shot crews working their butts off.

I spoke with rangers in the Coconino NF and while there are no immediate plans to close that forest over the 4th July holiday, the ranger stated that any thing can happen. If the FS has any more non-compliance issues with dipshit, f*ckheads having camp fires, then they should just close everything down until the state receives significant rainfall.

I really hate people who violate fire restrictions. I've put out at least three or four unattended campfires in the last five years. Once, during fire restrictions a jerk wouldn't put out his campfire at Paradise Forks (non-climber) while there were heavy fire restrictions. We asked him very politely when we spoke to him initially. The meadow (now closed to camping) was tinder dry with knee high grass all around and a nice stiff 25 mph wind constantly gusting. He said I'll do whatever I want. Well, there must have been 20 or more climbers who stood around with concerned looks on their faces but doing absolutely nothing to extinguish this guy's fire. I mean 20 climbers hemming & hawing but couldn't deal with just one guy...pathetic. My buddy and I put the fire out with three gallons of water because I came back down with a .357 hidden behind my back. I showed it to him and told him not to move and that we were putting his f*cking fire out whether he liked it or not. We told him to pack up his shit and take his family and get out of the area. I told his wife and kids that he didn't give a shit about nature and whether he burnt down the whole forest. He threatened to report me for showing the piece and I said go ahead, as we'll tell the authorities about his fire. I really wanted to shoot him and told him that much. I've seen too many fires here caused by assholes leaving fires unattended or violating fire restrictions: Four Peaks (120,00 acres); Mt Lemmon (100,00+ acres); Rodeo-Chediski (460,000+ acres); now the Wallow fire which will be the largest fire in AZ state history. All of these fires were caused by dipshits all violating fire restrictions. I wouldn't be surprised if this fire goes to over 600,000 acres. You all can bitch and curse me for being extreme that day, but I'd rather see some dumb puke dead or beat to a pulp that can't abide by fire restrictions than see a quarter million acres burn up.

If you see some one violating fire restrictions, please try to educate them. If they refuse and continue, then, in my opinion, put the fire out asap and then beat the f*cking shit out of them. F*ck being PC on this subject.

Daryl, We have 4 helitankers over at Sierra Vista airport if you need us. There are probably just as many over at BDI. We (the region) can't afford to have any new large fires at this point.

Here is an interesting discussion regarding the Wallow Fire from All Things Considered:

npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/20…

azclimbingrocks, don't forgot all the helitack and engine folks, as well as the many, many support staff on the fires. It's looking to be a long month...