Postponed indefinitely on January 18, 2012
As of January 12, 2012
Yosemite fire managers are planning a prescribed fire in the Lower Avalanche Creek (Unit E), of the larger Bishop Creek prescribed fire complex. The unit is currently within fire prescription due to a drier than average winter. The project is dependent upon a weather disturbance, with measurable rain, occurring at the end of the burn project.
The primary objective of the prescribed fire is to buffer the communities of Yosemite West, El Portal, and the Glacier Point Historical District from unwanted wildfire, by reducing an over accumulation of forest fuels. Approximately half of this unit is within the 1990 Steamboat Fire footprint.
This burn unit is surrounded by past fires, the Glacier Point Road, last summer's 1,068 acre Avalanche Fire, and forest mechanical thinning.. bounded to the east the northeast by the 2009 Grouse Fire and the Glacier Point Road, and to the west by the Wawona Road. The project is at the 5500 to 6200' elevation, on a west aspect.
Smoke, which can affect health, is always a factor in the decision making process to conduct any prescribed burn. An approved smoke management plan will be in place with the Mariposa County Air Pollution Control District (APCD). In addition the Tuolumne, San Joaquin and Great Basin APCDs will be advised of this project.
More details will be made available when a more exact date is determined.
For more information, email the Fire Information and Education Officer, or call 209/375-9574 or 209/372-0480.
November 2, 2011
The decision has been made to postpone the Bishop Creek prescribed fire and all broadcast burning for the season. The reasons to postpone include the fact that we never fully recovered from the most recent storm event; terminations of the helicopter and temporary employees; the short burn window in front of this Thursday's storm; and the need to maintain a scientifically, environmentally and fiscally responsible program to achieve objectives.
Notable fires/projects this year include the Hodgdon prescribed fire. Wawona Northwest and Bishop Creek prescribed fire preparation, the Motor, Tamarack, Avalanche, Smith, Hoffman and other wildfires. Traffic was safely managed concurrently along the Tioga and Wawona Roads during the Tamarack wildfire and Bishop Creek ramp up and the Motor wildfire was excluded from Yosemite.
Other successes include both spring and ongoing fall park wide pile burning in the communities of Wawona, El Portal, Foresta, Yosemite Valley, Aspen Valley, Chinquapin, South Entrance and the Merced and Mariposa groves. Some of these piles have been backlogged over 10 years and others resulted from recent severe winter storms. Significant thinning and piling is happening in Foresta and slated for Old El Portal beginning this week.
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The start of the fall burning of debris piles along park wide roads and within the communities of Foresta, El Portal, Merced Sequoia Grove, Chinquapin, Wawona (Bill's Hill), Mariposa Sequoia Grove will begin with this week's predicted winter storm.
The increase in moisture and favorable air quality from the anticipated winter storm will help firefighters facilitate the project.
Pile burning is an effective method of removing accumulations of burnable vegetation from the forest floor. When combined with other treatments including mechanical thinning, prescribed or wildland fire, pile burning is an effective way to reduce hazardous fuel accumulations adjacent to Yosemite's communities and restore fire dependent forest systems.
Roadside pile burning can reduce the threat or effects of catastrophic wildfire to Wildland Urban interface (WUI). They create fuel breaks that fire managers can utilize for future prescribed fire projects or to defend against unwanted wildfires.
The Mariposa County Air Pollution Control District has issued a burn permit for the project.
For more information, email the Fire Information and Education Officer, or call 209/375-9574 or 209/372-0480.
