| Public Affairs Officer: Kimberly DeVall (530) 643-0945 kimberly.devall@usda.gov |
| Klamath National Forest plans prescribed burns |
| Yreka, Calif., February 18, 2022— Fire managers on the Scott/Salmon River Ranger District of the Klamath National Forest are planning to conduct a prescribed burn on Scott Bar Mountain as early as next week if conditions allow. The prescribed burn is located about 12 miles northwest of Fort Jones the area of Scott Bar Mountain Lookout. Up to 192 acres over five units are scheduled for burning this spring, possibly beginning February 22. The goals for the Scott Bar Mountain prescribed burn are to reduce the severity of future wildfires and provide added protection for communities in the wildland urban interface. Additional benefits of this prescribed burn include improved forest diversity and wildlife habitat. This project is part of a larger network of fuels reduction projects that stretch to just north of Yreka. Smoke from this burn will be visible to residents of Scott Valley. Additionally, the Oak/Knoll Ranger District plans to burn piles starting Monday, February 21st. The piles are within the Craggy Project located about two miles northwest of Yreka and smoke will be highly visible from Yreka and Interstate 5. Prescribed fire is an important and cost-effective way for fire managers to decrease fuel loadings, improve forest health, and enhance wildlife habitat in the ecosystems of the Klamath National Forest, which evolved with fire. Prescribed fire mimics the effects that naturally occurring fire used to provide to the landscape. These effects include the reduction of surface fuels, such as needles, sticks, and logs, and ladder fuels like smaller trees and brush. This reduction of fuels from prescribed burns promotes a forest that is more resilient to the effects of wildfire, insects, and disease. Decreased fuel loads also help to improve firefighter safety and defensibility of communities during wildfires. |
