Burns reduce hazardous fuels and improve ecosystem health
Quincy, CA. – October 9, 2015 - Plumas National Forest officials have started prescribed burn projects to reduce hazardous fuels and improve ecosystem health. “To the extent economically feasible, we’ve removed all merchantable materials prior to burning,” said Daniel Lovato, Acting Forest Supervisor. Planned projects include burning piled materials, low to moderate intensity understory vegetation burns on the forest floor, and moderate to high intensity broadcast burning of brush.
The goals of these projects are to reduce the severity of future wildfires, provide added protection for communities in the wildland urban interface, promote more diverse and resilient ecosystems and improve habitat for wildlife.
The burns will occur as local weather & fuel conditions permit, through March 2016. Local authorities are notified prior to burn days and kept informed throughout burning operations.
To ensure the safety of people and property in the area, prescribed fire projects are conducted in accordance with an approved burn plan. Burn plans describe the specific conditions under which burns will be conducted including the weather, number of personnel and opportunities to minimize smoke impacts. As a result of the burns, some residents and visitors may see or smell smoke and witness glowing from the fires at night. People should not be alarmed; the fires are carefully monitored.
Forest visitors are asked to avoid areas where prescribed burns are being conducted and to recognize some spur roads near the burn areas may be inaccessible during operations.
Following is a list of prescribed burn projects (with acreage and locations) currently planned:
Beckwourth Ranger District
Freeman Underburn – 600 acres, Lake Davis area north of Portola
Ingalls Underburn – 450 acres, Lake Davis area north of Portola
Jackson Hand Piles – 500 acres, along Highway 89/70 between Blairsden/Graeagle and Cromberg.
Freeman Stewardship Piles – 50 acres, Lake Davis area north of Portola
Turner Timber Sale Piles – 50 acres, Lake Davis area north of Portola
Wolf Ranch Timber Sale Piles – 50 acres, Lake Davis area north of Portola
Grizz-Walker Timber Sale Piles –50 acres, near Walker Mine, north of Sloat/Cromberg.
For more information contact Fuels Specialist Don Fregulia (530) 836-7176
Mount Hough Ranger District
Meadow Valley Underburn – 110 ac south of Tamarack Flat, south of Meadow Valley. 165 acres north of Meadow Valley
Empire Underburn—300 acres, 125ac northeast of Massack
Wolf Creek Bear Grass Underburn – 10 acres, southeast of Canyon Dam along FS road 27N80
Corridor Under Burn – 100 acres around Mt Hough Ranger station and along HWY 70
American Valley Hand Piles – 75 acres, Mill Creek drainage south of east Quincy
Bucks Lake Hand and Machine Piles – 10 acres, campgrounds, Haskins Valley, and Thompson Lake
Chips Reforestation Piles – 375 acres of grapple piles in the Chips Fire area, south of Lake Almanor
Corridor Hand Piles – 11 acres west of Mt. Hough Ranger Station
Empire Hand Piles – 10 acres north of Quincy near Mt. Hough Rd.
Keddie Rock Cress - 15 acres, northwest of Round Valley Reservoir
Maidu Stewardship Hand Piles – 239 acres, north of Greenville along Highway 89
Twain and Virgilia Piles - 40 acres, north of Highway 70 along Kingsbury Grade
Round Valley Piles - 360 acres, around Round Valley Reservoir
Keddie Ridge Piles – 136 acres off North Arm Road in the Peters Creek Drainage
For more information contact Fuels Specialist Nick Bunch at (530) 283-7672.
Feather River Ranger District
Slapjack Underburn - 200 acres, Slapjack DFPZ Units near the community of Woodleaf, and along Oregon Hill Road south of Challenge.
Brush Creek Underburn – 200 acres, Brush Creek DFPZ units near the community of Berry Creek.
Watdog Underburn – 25 acres, Watdog DFPZ units north of La Porte.
Feather River District Piles - 390 acres
· Butte County
o Woodleaf/Kanaka – 89 acres, Feather Falls/Ponderosa Reservoir.
· Plumas & Sierra Counties
o Cemetery Restoration – 1 acre cemetery site near the town of La Porte
o Ararat-Grizzly Timber Sale Piles – 1 acre landing
o Stag Point Timber Sale Piles -26 landing piles above La Porte.
o Little Grass Valley - 3 acres near Little Grass Valley Campground.
o La Porte Pines – 10 acres, near the community of La Porte
· Yuba County
o La Porte Hazardous Fuels Reduction Piles - 5 acres near Scales area.
o Scales Deck Timber Sale Piles - 1 acres near Slate Creek and County Road 2.
o Slapjack Hand Piles – 30 acres near Woodleaf, and Marysville Road.
o Slapjack Dozer Piles - 61 acres near Woodleaf, Challenge and Bullards Bar Reservoir.
o Oregon Peak Hand Piles - 16 acres near Oregon Peak Lookout. And Oregon Hill Road
o Pendola Fire Restoration Hand Piles – 129 acres along Oregon Hill road near the town of Challenge.
o Slapjack Timber Sale Piles – 17 biomass piles near Challenge
o Oregon Hill Woodlot – 3 acres south of Challenge
· For more information contact Fuels Specialist Jason Vermillion at (530) 532-7434
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