It’s no secret the Prescott area is prone to wildfires, and with that comes controlled burns in an effort to reduce wildfire risk. When conducting these burns, officials with the Prescott National Forest must take steps to preserve historic structures. One way they do this is by encasing structures in a heat-resistant wrap that’s silver in color. This wrapping protects the structures from embers and radiant heat during prescribed fire operations and wildfires.
Forest officials say they will use this method to protect the wooden markers along the Beaverhead-Greif Hill driveway. The driveway has been in use since the late 1800s to drive sheep from the Phoenix area to the Flagstaff area, and the wooden markers continue to serve as visual markers for the route. Forest officials say they are protecting the markers in preparation of the upcoming Metate and Burro prescribed burns to the south of Highway 169.
They add removing the wrap early puts the structures at risk, and ask those who see the wrapping to leave it in place.