Fire Management at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
successfully completed the Whiskey Creek roadside shaded
fuelbreak in winter 2007. This sixty-acre fuelbreak was
considered a high priority for the park due to the build-up of
hazardous fuels along the road, the proximity of developed areas
and several park residents’ homes.
Fire management worked with the resource division to plan the
project which included dense pockets of brush, closely spaced
trees and an abundance of exotic plants, including scotch broom.
The project used several strategies including thinning, brushing,
chipping, piling brush and burning as appropriate. The depth of the fuelbreak varies depending on the fuel types,
topography and the proximity to riparian areas. Whiskeytown
fuels staff and Cal Fire inmate crews began the project in
summer 2006 and completed it in winter 2007.
Using a variety of tools available to fire managers, this shaded
fuelbreak not only improves forest health by thinning and
reducing ladder fuels but it also reduces fire danger and will
enable fire crews to quickly and safely attack wildfires due to the
reduced fire intensity. Visitors and residents benefit with safer
fire escapes routes.
Whiskeytown continues to support hazardous fuels projects
around developed areas and along roads used by the public
which the National Park Service deems a high priority.
Contact: Carol Jandrall, Fire Education Specialist
Phone: (530) 242-3438
*This story supports the National Fire Plan |
