Shasta-Trinity National Forest Plans for Prescribed Fire Projects Now That First Rains Have Fallen

Press release from the Shasta-Trinity National Forest:

[Background image from the Redwood National and State Parks doing a prescribed burn]

As temperatures drop and the first precipitation of the season has arrived, the Shasta-Trinity National Forest is beginning its preparations for fall, winter and spring prescribed fire projects.

“Prescribed fire is an important tool in our mission to reduce build-up of hazardous fuels, restore forest ecosystems and improve safety of communities within the wildland urban interface,” explained Assistant Forest Fire Management Officer Ernie Villa.

Pre-planned prescribed fire projects may take place at specific locations across the forest from mid-September through June 2020. Actual project ignition will depend upon local weather and fuel conditions. Planned projects include burn piles and low intensity understory burns of vegetation on the forest floor. The main goals of these projects are to reduce the severity of future wildfires and provide added protection for communities in the wildland urban interface. In addition, the prescribed burns will promote a diverse and more resilient forest and improve habitat for wildlife.

“With the cool and wet weather this week, our first prescribed fire projects are being planned north and east of McCloud,” explained Prescribed Fire & Fuels Specialist Heather McRae. “These projects are conducted in accordance with an approved burn plan to ensure the safety of people and property in the area. Burn plans describe the specific conditions under which burns will be conducted including the weather, number of personnel and opportunities to minimize smoke impacts.”

Pre-ignition public notifications will be provided to local media outlets and will also be posted on http://inciweb.nwcg.gov, the Forest’s Facebook www.facebook.com/ShastaTrinityNF and Twitter www.twitter.com/ShastaTrinityNF pages. Residents and visitors are asked to avoid areas where prescribed burns are being conducted and some may see or smell smoke. People should not be alarmed; the fires will be carefully monitored. Local fire and government authorities will be notified prior to burn days and kept informed throughout burning operations. Specific project location information will be available online at www.fs.usda.gov/stnf.