Depending on weather and environmental conditions, Plumas National Forest is set to start prescribed burning as conditions permit. The Beckwourth, Feather River and Mount Hough ranger districts have several underburn and pile-burning projects scheduled.
The Beckwourth Ranger District will work on the Big Hill Underburn in the Sloat and Cromberg area and piles in the Lakes Basin and Frenchman Lake areas.
Plans in the Mount Hough Ranger include underburns in Butterfly Valley and Spanish Ranch, and multiple pile burning projects across the district.
Residents of Concow, Challenge and Magalia, in the Feather River Ranger District, can expect an underburn in the Challenge area and pile-burning across the ranger district.
Officials in all ranger districts will monitor weather conditions and factor in firefighter availability and area accessibility to decide when to begin prescribed burn operations. Pil- burning could continue through the winter months.
“This past fire season was a reminder about the urgency for critical fuel reduction and the benefits of treatments, including prescribed burning, to help with community protection and forest health restoration,” said Plumas National Forest Fuels Officer Ryan Bauer. “We are monitoring conditions and identifying opportunities to continue this important work this fall.”
Information about fuel moisture, temperature and humidity levels; and wind direction and speed factor into authorities’ decision-making. Officials also coordinate with area air resource agencies before operations begin.
Residents can expect visible smoke. However, officials don’t expect significant long-term impacts to local communities. Drivers may experience reduced visibility on area roads during operations and the evening and early morning hours, when smoke tends to settle in lower areas.
There will also be increased firefighting equipment traffic in the area during the morning and evening hours. Drivers in the area should use caution, watch for fire equipment entering and exiting area roadways. Motorists should also allow for slow traffic.
Information about prescribed burning operations is on PNF’s Facebook page, USFS Plumas, and website. To subscribe to an email notification list, residents can email [email protected].
Information courtesy of Plumas National Forest
