BLM plans fall prescribed burning projects in northwest California
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ARCATA, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management is planning prescribed burning projects for the fall and winter months on public lands in Humboldt and Mendocino counties. Crews will ignite the pile burns and broadcast burns only when weather and fuel conditions allow for safe and successful burning and smoke dispersion. Smoke may be visible from nearby communities during the projects.
“These carefully managed, low intensity fires are designed to reduce wildfire danger by removing fuels, and to improve forest health and promote diverse grassland ecology,” said Molly Brown, manager of the BLM Arcata Field Office. “Prescribed burning is an important part of our work to manage sustainable public lands.
Prescribed fire operations up to 100 acres along Prosper Ridge Road in the King Range National Conservation Area are scheduled for this fall. Crews will use a broadcast burn to remove grass and forest litter left over from ongoing forest thinning and grassland restoration projects.
Also in Humboldt County, crews plan to complete prairie restoration burning in the Lacks Creek Forest Restoration Project. The fire will improve 60 acres of prairie grasslands ecosystem, improving wildlife forage and habitat. Crews will also burn piles of brush, limbs and other vegetation in a 200-acre area.
Crews will also work on pile burning projects to reduce hazardous fuels along recreational trail corridors and high public use areas in Humboldt and Mendocino counties. Project areas include the Lost Coast Headlands west of Ferndale, locations within King Range National Conservation Area, and the Mike Thompson Wildlife Area, South Spit at Humboldt Bay. Workers will remove fire and storm-damaged vegetation and woody debris along the trails and make burn piles of brush and small trees removed during the work.
Additional information is available from the BLM Arcata Field Office at 707-825-2300 and at BLM King Range Project Office 707-986-5400.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.