South Lake Tahoe, Calif. – California State Parks started prescribed fire operations this week at Burton Creek State Park near Tahoe City, and the U.S. Forest Service announced that it will start prescribed fire operations this weekend in Christmas Valley near Meyers.
Both prescribed fire operations may continue over the next several weeks as conditions allow.
Fall and winter bring cooler temperatures and precipitation, which favor prescribed burning. Each prescribed fire operation follows a prescribed fire burn plan, which considers temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke. This information is used to decide when and where to burn. The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team will give as much advance notice as possible before burning, but some operations may be conducted on short notice.
Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size and environmental conditions. Agencies coordinate with state and local county air pollution control districts and monitor weather conditions closely prior to prescribed fire ignition. They wait for favorable conditions that will carry smoke up and out of the Basin. Crews also conduct test burns before igniting a larger area, to verify how effectively fuels are consumed how smoke will travel.
Before prescribed fire operations are conducted, agencies post road signs around areas affected by prescribed fire, send email notifications and update the local fire information line at 530-543-2816. To receive prescribed fire notifications, send an email to pa_ltbmu@fs.fed.us. For more information on prescribed fire operations and smoke management tips, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbmu/RxFireOps.
Project Information:
- Project Name: Grass lake ULM
- Responsible Agency/Contact: U.S. Forest Service, Kyle Jacobson (530) 543-2658
- Legal Location: 11N, 18E, Sec. 8, 17
- Descriptive Location: Hwy 89/Grass Lake Rd
- Type of burn: Hand Piles
- Total Acreage: 122
- Planned Ignition: 10/17/2015 and continuing as conditions permit
- Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 10 days of burn down time
- Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: North/Northeast
- Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible from Meyers, Christmas Valley and Echo Summit
- Project Name: Burton Creek State Park, Plot A
- Responsible Agency/Contact: California State Parks, Rich Adams (530) 525-9533
- Legal Location: T16N, R17E, Sec 31
- Descriptive Location: Three-quarters of a mile north of Rocky Ridge, in Burton Creek State Park
- Type of burn: Understory Burn
- Total Acreage: 22
- Planned Ignition: 10/15/2015
- Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 1 week of burn down time
- Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: Northeast
- Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Tahoe City, Lake Forest, Highlands, Dollar Hill
- Project Name: Burton Creek State Park, Plot B
- Responsible Agency/Contact: California State Parks, Rich Adams (530) 525-9533
- Legal Location: T16N, R17E, Sec 31
- Descriptive Location: One-half mile north of Rocky Ridge, in Burton Creek State Park
- Type of burn: Understory Burn
- Total Acreage: 81
- Planned Ignition: 10/19 – 22/2015
- Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 1 week of burn down time
- Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: Northeast
- Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Tahoe City, Lake Forest, Highlands, Dollar Hill
About the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team
The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) consists of representatives of Tahoe Basin fire agencies, Cal Fire, Nevada Division of Forestry and related state agencies, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the USDA Forest Service, conservation districts from both states, the California Tahoe Conservancy and the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. Our Mission is to protect lives, property and the environment within the Lake Tahoe Basin from wildfire by implementing prioritized fuels reduction projects and educating the public on becoming a Fire Adapted Community. For more information, visit www.tahoefft.org.