Starting Feb. 12, 2025, Tahoe National Forest will begin a prescribed pile burn off Henness Pass Rd. near the community of Camptonville. Fire and fuels personnel plan to begin ignitions on up to 45 acres, conditions permitting.

Smoke is expected to predominately travel north, northeast. Any impact to communities is expected to be limited.

This prescribed burn is part of the approximately 15,473-acre Trapper Project, a fuels reduction and forest health project east of the community of Camptonville. The project is located within the North Yuba landscape, where the Forest Service and North Yuba Forest Partnership are prioritizing forest and watershed resilience work within the 275,000-acre landscape footprint. The North Yuba landscape was selected for investment in 2022 as part of the Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy.

Trapper Pile Burn Project – Unit F35

Yuba River Ranger District

Acres: Up to 45 possible

Ignition Dates: Feb. 12, conditions permitting

Legal Location:  T18N, R9E, Sec 27 

Why Are We Burning?

The goal of this prescribed burn is to decrease the existing fire hazard and to prevent and reduce the impact of future fires in the area. Other benefits include enhancing wildlife habitat and reintroducing fire into a fire-adapted ecosystem.

Why Now?

Current conditions allow for prescribed burning. Each prescribed fire operation follows a prescribed fire burn plan, which considers temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke. This information is used to decide when and where to burn. The Tahoe National Forest strives to give as much advance notice as possible before burning, but some operations may be conducted on short notice.

Smoke

Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size and environmental conditions. Smoke may settle into the valleys in the evening and lift in the morning. The Tahoe National Forest coordinates with state and local county air pollution control districts and monitors weather conditions closely prior to prescribed fire ignition. Crews also conduct test burns before igniting a larger area, to verify how effectively fuels are consumed and how smoke will travel.