BLM plans prescribed burns in NE California, NW Nevada, to prevent wildfire risk
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ALTURAS, Calif. – Fire crews from the Bureau of Land Management Applegate Field Office will conduct prescribed burns to reduce hazardous fuels near Fall River Mills in Shasta County, starting as early as October 20. Carefully managed broadcast burns will be conducted on no more than 800 acres of BLM-managed public lands along the Hogback Ridge, south of Fall River Mills, and will be implemented when weather and fire activity permits. Smoke will be visible throughout the Burney Basin, Big Valley, and to motorists on State Route 299.
“The prescribed burns will help reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire associated with high fuel loading in the Wildland Urban Interface, which is the area where homes are close to public wildlands and will improve firefighter safety and effectiveness in the event of a wildfire,” said Dereck Wilson, manager of the BLM Northern California District. “These burns will also help prevent wildfire damages to natural resources and communities.”
Additionally, prescribed pile burns will be implemented through the late fall, winter and spring, when adequate moisture is present. These projects will occur within Modoc County, northern Washoe County, northeastern Lassen County, and eastern Siskiyou County. Smoke may be visible to the residents in and near the California communities of Dorris, Madeline, Likely, Alturas, Fort Bidwell and Cedarville, and by people traveling in the Vya area of northwest Nevada. The pile burns will reduce hazardous fuels and contribute to healthy and resilient sage-steppe landscapes.
Prescribed pile burn locations and details are as follows:
- Modoc Gulch, 4 miles southeast of Dorris, CA - 850 acres of piled juniper
- Vya projects, 20 miles northeast of Fort Bidwell, CA - 3,600 acres of piled juniper
- Twin Lakes, 18 miles southeast of Cedarville, CA - 700 acres of piled juniper
- Rygrass Swale, 9 miles south of Alturas, CA - 500 acres of piled juniper
- XL, 3 miles northeast of Alturas, CA – 30 acres of piled juniper
- Dry Cow, 5 miles east of Madeline, CA - 250 acres of piled juniper
- Nelson Corral, 6 miles northwest of Madeline, CA - 50 acres of piled juniper
The BLM’s Fuels Management program conducts a wide variety of active management vegetation treatments using mechanical, biological, and chemical tools and prescribed fire. The program includes creating fuel breaks to protect resources and provide safe access for firefighters, reducing fuel loads by removing trees, shrubs, juniper and invasive species, reducing fire risk near communities and infrastructure, targeted grazing, and using herbicide plus seeding to restore rangelands and break the fire-cheatgrass cycle.
More information is available by contacting the BLM Applegate Field Office at 530-233-4666.
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.