Lassen National Forest fire officials have begun fall prescribed burn operations Wednesday at Black’s Mountain Experimental Forest on the Eagle Lake Ranger District.
Prescribed burns are designed to reduce the threat and severity of catastrophic fires across the landscape by consuming flammable vegetation on the forest floor. Prescribed fire also can help to improve fire resiliency of forests as well as improve the Lassen National Forest’s fire-dependent ecosystems through forage renewal for wildlife, and nutrient release into soils.
Up to 935 acres of understory burning is planned on the Eagle Lake District in the areas of Blacks Mountain, Logan Mountain and Dow Butte. Depending on weather conditions during these prescribed burns, smoke could be visible from Susanville, the Eagle Lake Basin, Westwood, Spalding and while traveling on Highways 44 and 139, and County Roads A1 and A21.
In addition to underburn treatments, approximately 250 acres of landing piles and 120 acres of hand piles will be burned throughout the district, once significant rain or snowfall has occurred.
The Almanor Ranger District plans on burning approximately 100 acres on the Cold Springs project, 15 miles due north of Forest Ranch. The burn is designed to contribute to a fuel break on the H-Line, which was constructed cooperatively with Sierra Pacific Industries and CalFire. This burn is planned for implementation in October, and smoke will likely be visible from Chico and other areas in the Sacramento Valley.
The Almanor District also plans on burning approximately 780 acres of hand and machine piles when weather conditions become cooler and wetter.
The Hat Creek Ranger District plans to underburn up to 500 acres in the Old Station area, 500 acres near Mountain Home and up to 1500 acres in the vicinity of Blacks Ridge. An additional 300 acres of burning is planned near Hall’s Flat. Pile burning will occur across the District as conditions allow.
Lassen National Forest fire officials also use prescribed burning to help enhance Defensible Fuel Profile Zones, areas where a combination of thinning and prescribed fire treatments are used to reduce surface, ladder, and canopy fuels. The DFPZs are designed to improve fire suppression efforts, increase protection of the communities adjacent to national forest lands during a wildfire, and help return the landscape to one that is more fire-resilient.
For more information about District prescribed burn programs contact the following:
• Eagle Lake Ranger District – Chuck Lewis, District Fuels Officer at 530-257-4188
• Almanor Ranger District – Jeff St. Clair, District Fuels Officer at 530-258-2141
• Hat Creek Ranger District – Debbie Mayer, District Fire Management Officer at 530-336-5521.
