Inyo National Forest and Devils Postpile National Monument Announce Plans for Interagency Prescribed Burning

Inyo National Forest (INF) and Devils Postpile National Monument (DEPO) will begin preparations for an interagency prescribed fire on 158 acres in the Reds Meadow Valley, Madera County, CA. The project is located east of the Devils Postpile Ranger Station and west of the Sotcher Lake Day Use Site. The project goal is to reduce hazardous fuels and thus create wildfire defensible space around the DEPO ranger station, administrative facilities and campground. This defensible space will promote public and firefighter safety should a wildfire occur here in the future.

INF and DEPO will work with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District to fulfill smoke management objectives and Federal and State air quality standards. The prescribed fire project will occur when weather and fuel moisture conditions will allow for generally low to moderate intensity prescribed burning, likely in the latter half of October 2015. Existing roads and trails will be used as fire containment lines. Fire crews will use chainsaws to thin small trees on 31 acres adjacent to Reds Meadow Road and the DEPO access road. This thinning will moderate risk of fire torching into the tops of larger trees and thus minimize impacts to scenic quality in highly visible areas along the roads.

The access road to Devils Postpile National Monument will be closed along with all trails and access to the Devils Postpile formation during the prescribed burn implementation. Traffic control will be in effect on the Reds Meadow Road during the 2 to 3 days when prescribed burning occurs. Rainbow falls will still be accessible via the Rainbow falls trail during this time.