U.S. Forest Service plans prescribed burn in Stanislaus National Forest

Sonora, Calif., February 19, 2016…Fire crews will begin ignitions Monday on the South Fork Prescribed Fire, units one to three, on the Mi-Wok Ranger District, Stanislaus National Forest, weather and air quality conditions permitting. The burn will be ignited in sections of one to 50 acre units located within the 186 acre South Fork Prescribed Fire project area, specifically located at: Township 3N, Range 16E, Section 34, along South Fork Road (Forest Road 2N63).

Though the burn is planned to begin Feb. 22, ignitions may start later and continue for several days with residual smoke being seen for one to two weeks. The area will be treated using low-intensity prescribed fire. Size of burn may vary with weather and fuel moisture conditions, as well as permissible air quality burn days.

Smoke may be visible from Hwy. 108 and in the surrounding communities. Traffic controls will be in place along South Fork Road during ignitions. This project is a planned prescribed fire; please do not report this as a wildland fire. Additionally, the public is advised to drive defensively due to the small possibility of material rolling off the hillside and into the roadway.

Prescribed burning is an effective, cost efficient method of reducing flammable forest fuels, improving firefighting capabilities, and reducing the impacts of uncharacteristic wildfire. The Sierra Nevada is a fire dependent ecosystem, where fire is part of the natural forest process. The objective of the burn program is to protect our local communities from wildfire by reducing hazardous fuel conditions.

Prescribed fires are also used for restoring, enhancing and sustaining a healthy forest ecosystem through reintroducing fire as a component of ecosystem dynamics. By burning during cooler and wetter times of the year, these burns are less intense, easier to control and produce significantly less smoke than a wildfire during the summer months. The U.S. Forest Service complies with all local, state and federal air quality regulations during burn events.

Specific project location information is available online at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/stanislaus/home/?cid=stelprdb5440683. For more information or concerns about this prescribed burn, please call the: Mi-Wok Ranger District at 209-586-3234 or the Stanislaus Supervisor’s Office at: 209-532-3671.