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Yavapai County During the fuel reduction project, everyone is encouraged to use caution and obey all warning signs when traveling along Williamson Valley Road.

Beginning the week of August 12, the Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) will begin work on a 263-acre fuel reduction project located nine miles northwest of Prescott and 2.5 miles southeast of the community of Williamson. The Granite Oaks project is on state trust lands and is part of the department’s priority of protecting communities through hazardous fuel reduction.

Project work will take place along the east and west sides of Williamson Valley Road.

Roads will pass through the project from Scarlett Road on the north end, Granite Oaks Drive on the east, and Buchanan Drive and Vista Lane on the west. The project borders Prescott National Forest on the south end. Residents in the area should be on the lookout for heavy equipment traveling on Williamson Valley Road. Project managers do not anticipate any road closures or traffic impacts. However, portions of the project are along Williamson Valley Road, so drivers along the road should use caution.

“This is a project I've been working on for years and I'm pleased to see this important work begin,” said Yavapai County Board of Supervisors Chairman Craig Brown. “This is long overdue and continues Yavapai County's commitment to putting fire protection equipment where it's needed most.”

The goal of the Granite Oaks Project is to reduce high-density, hazardous fuel connectivity at the wildland-urban interface through mastication operations.

Masticators are heavy machines used to crush and pulverize vegetation such as shrubs and small woody trees. This strategically designed plan allows for safer and more manageable firefighting. Most importantly, these projects protect communities from devastating wildfires.

DFFM is also working on another mastication project in Yavapai County, south of Prescott Valley and southeast of the Stone Ridge area.

Charcoal Gulch is a 600-acre fuel reduction project that also aims to reduce wildfire risk and protect communities. Projects like Charcoal Gulch and Granite Oaks protect communities, provide firefighters with a manageable and safe area to work, and help slow the spread and intensity of fires.

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