News Release

For Release: April 4, 2008
Contact:  Jeff Fontana, BLM, (530) 252-5332 or Leona Rodreick, Lassen National Forest, (530) 252-6605      
BLM-CA-N-08-40

Prescribed Burning to Begin on Northeastern California Public Lands

The Lassen National Forest, Bureau of Land Management and Lassen Volcanic National Park will soon begin spring prescribed burning programs in Northeastern California.  Burning will begin when weather conditions allow for safe and efficient burning.

Area residents and visitors can expect to see smoke and fire equipment activity associated with the following projects:

Lassen National Forest

The Eagle Lake Ranger District has several prescribed underburning projects planned that will help reduce hazardous fuels.  Approximately 2,400 acres of underburning will occur in the following areas: Grays Flat (200 acres), Blacks Mountain (200 acres), Martin Springs (300 acres), west side of Crater Mountain (700 acres), and in the Dow Butte area at the north end of Eagle Lake (1000 acres).

Crews from the Almanor Ranger District are planning two prescribed burns this spring. The first is located one mile west of the Prattville area on the west side of Highway 89.   This will be a 200 acre underburn occurring in May.
 
A 700 acre broadcast burn in the Hogsback area is planned in late June or early July.  Objectives are to improve forage for wildlife and habitat for migratory songbirds, and to reduce noxious weeds such as medusahead and star thistle.  This area is in Tehama County near Finley Lake approximately four miles southeast of the town of Paynes Creek. The project is bordered by Hogsback Road on the north and the North Fork Antelope Creek on the south. 

The Hat Creek Ranger District plans to underburn 1,000 acres in the North Coble area and around the Moon Springs, Bainbridge Reservoir, and Forest Roads 18 and 22. The Mayfield underburn near Wiley Ranch will treat 500 acres. In the Blacks Ridge area 500 acres will be burned.

Bureau of Land Management

Crews from the Surprise Field Office in Cedarville plan to complete a 425-acre burn at Snake Lake, about nine miles south of Eagleville.  The project is designed to reduce medusahead, an invasive weed, improving wildlife habitat and livestock forage. 

Additionally, crews plan to complete the 49 Project, a 35-acre burn near the Nevada-California state line 12 miles east of Cedarville.  The burn would complete a 200-acre native grass restoration burn project started last year.

At Eagle Lake, BLM fire crews will take advantage of favorable weather to continue burning debris piles near the Stones-Bengard community.  The piles were created in hazardous fuels reduction projects over the past two years.

Lassen Volcanic National Park

The National Park Service is planning to conduct three underburns this year.  Crews will conduct a 50-acre underburn near the park headquarters near Mineral.  On the north side of the park near Manzanita Lake and Loomis museum, 82 acres will be underburned, and 252 acres will be treated with fire near Butte Lake.

Burning on all projects will take place on permissive burn days.  Additionally, the agencies will coordinate with industry landowners, local air pollution control districts and agency managers in the areas surrounding the prescribed burn locations on burn days.

 "This collaboration effort will limit the amount of smoke in the air at any one time," commented Mike Holmes, fuels officer for the Lassen National Forest.

Agencies use prescribed fires to reduce the accumulation of fuels, which feed catastrophic wildfires. These fuels include dead and fallen trees, dead branches and brush.  Prescribed burning also allows plants to become healthier and stronger, renewing the food supply for animals.  The fuels consumed by fire release nutrients back into the soil.  Smoke reduces tree rust and kills harmful parasitic plants such as dwarf mistletoe.

Prescribed fires also are used to create defensible fuel profile zones, which are areas of thinned vegetation which can help protect communities from wildfires.

More information is available from Lassen National Forest offices in Susanville, Chester and Fall River Mills, from BLM offices in Alturas, Cedarville and Susanville, and the Lassen Volcanic National Park in Mineral.

-SIFC-

Susanville Interagency Fire Center
CAL FIRE   Lassen National Forest   Bureau of Land Management    Lassen Volcanic National Park