The Tahoe National Forest will start a 41-acre pile burning project today in the Madrone Springs area, east of Nevada City off Conservation Road. This unit is completely surrounded by road and/or line and is a part of the Western Nevada County Community Defense Project- Deer Creek area. Firefighters will be at scene today and tomorrow for ignitions and monitor the piles until fully consumed. This is the DDD area on the map below, visible in the upper left area.
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.
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.