(InEDC) Elizabeth O’Neal, PLACERVILLE, CA – The Eldorado National Forest plans to resume its prescribed burning program as conditions are favorable for burning. Multiple pile and understory burn projects will be conducted, as conditions permit, this fall, winter, and spring, on the Georgetown, Pacific, Placerville, and Amador Ranger Districts.
Prescribed fires are controlled fires that helps reduce the catastrophic damage of wildfire on our lands and surrounding communities.
It has the following benefits:
• Reduces fuel loading (vegetation) to prevent catastrophic fire.
• Controls low-quality, undesirable competing vegetation to allow establishment of seedlings following planting and increased water, soil nutrients, sunlight, and resource availability for already established trees.
• Improves wildlife habitat by creating a more open midstory and understory and improving browse and forage quality and quantity.
• Improves ecosystem health in forests by reducing competition, decreasing diseases and pests, as well as decreasing the fire intensity during wildfires.
• Improves wildlife habitat especially when patches of unburned areas are left for nesting and cover. Prescribed burning also helps maintain clean drinking water and reduces the amount of moisture that evaporates from plants into the air. This increases the quantity and improves the quality of water soaking into the ground replenishing aquifers.
Each operation follows a specialized burn plan, in which temperature, humidity, wind, vegetation moisture, and smoke dispersal conditions are considered daily before a prescribed fire is implemented.
