Fall Prescribed Burning at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area

Date: October 9, 2014
Contact: Fire Management Office, 530-242-3443

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area is planning to begin seasonal prescribed burning activities within the next several weeks. Rain events in late September helped to provide desirable conditions for the safe and effective use of prescribed fire at cooler and higher elevation locations within the park. Based on these conditions, fire crews plan to conduct underburning at the Brandy Creek and Coggins project areas. As the weather becomes cooler and wetter, additional lower elevation project sites and park-wide pile burning will be planned and implemented as conditions allow. 

The Brandy Creek project is located within a north facing drainage in the center of the park, up-slope from the Brandy Creek Beach and Marina area. The Coggins project is a high elevation site along County Line Road on the western boundary of the park. Both projects represent approximately 400 acres of planned fall burning. The primary goals of these projects are to encourage forest health, reduce the fuel load and fire risk, and ensure public and firefighter safety.

Recent rain and the seasonal transition towards shorter days, cooler temperatures and better overnight relative humidity recovery, have reduced fire danger in many of the high elevation and wetter areas of the park. These types of conditions are often ideal for meeting desired prescribed fire vegetation reduction objectives by ensuring adequate fire intensities and consumption, while limiting control issues and adverse impacts of excessive fire behavior. Once seasonal conditions become too cool and moist or access is limited by weather at these sites, prescribed fire operations typically shift to lower elevation sites that will more effectively meet desired project objectives.

To help protect visitors and firefighters there may be temporary closures and controlled traffic along roads and trails during implementation within the various project areas. 

Fire crews will plan to ignite individual units within each project area on multiple days throughout the coming months as conditions become favorable. Temperature, humidity and winds will be monitored to ensure safe and effective burn conditions and favorable air quality. Smoke will be generally visible from the Redding and Anderson areas during active ignition operations.

For additional information, please call: the Fire Management Office at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area at 530-242-3443. Fire updates can also be found on the parks Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/WhiskeytownNationalRecreationArea