South Fork Management Unit Prescribed Burning Projects Continue in March for Areas Near Hayfork and Hyampom

Press release from the Shasta-Trinity National Forest:

The South Fork Management Unit of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest is continuing its prescribed burning program during the month of March. Areas planned for vegetation treatment projects include:

• Trinity Post Fire Hazard Reduction Pile Rx – 25 acres of roadside hand piles on the 4N24 Road off of the 60 Road (5N60 Corral Bottom Road) approximately 2 miles north of Hyampom Valley.  Direction of smoke travel for these piles will be mainly north.
• If conditions are favorable, crews will continue on to other Trinity Post-fire Roadside Hazard Reduction pile units to the south of Hayfork.

“Crews burned approximately 175 acres of hand piles in December and January before conditions became too wet and snowy to continue,” stated Fire Management Specialist Dan Ostmann. “Recent drying has improved conditions for access and efficient burning ahead of forecasted precipitation later in the week. The onset of northern spotted owl breeding season limits the number of places where we can burn, but we do still have opportunities to treat fuels near the communities of Hayfork and Hyampom.”

Prescribed fire is an important tool for the Forest’s mission to reduce build-up of hazardous fuels, restore forest ecosystems and improve safety of communities within the wildland urban interface. 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 InciWeb https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7268, Facebook www.facebook.com/ShastaTrinityNF, and Twitter www.twitter.com/ShastaTrinityNF. Residents and visitors are asked to avoid areas where prescribed burns are being conducted. Some smoke may be visible. 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.