AUBURN, CA – On Saturday, November 11, the Placer Resource Conservation District (Placer RCD, the District) will be assisting a private landowner in Foresthill with a 5-acre prescribed burn. This controlled burn aims to target carrier fuels, specifically ponderosa pine needlecast and bear clover, a low-spreading shrub that forms dense carpets across the forest floor. The use of prescribed fire is essential to maintain low fuel loading and safeguard the property from potential future wildfires above the Middle Fork American River.

Iowa Hill Rx
Photos taken on December 2, 2021 near Iowa Hill, Placer County, CA by Andrew Fritz/Placer Resource Conservation District. This 11 acre prescribed burn at Kings Hill Ranch was coordinated by Placer Resource Conservation in collaboration with Prometheus Fire Consulting and Volcano Creek Logging. This prescribed burn was designed to improve forest and soil health and to mitigate against catastrophic wildfire. CAL FIRE funded this project.

The landowner and Placer RCD are collaborating closely with local CAL FIRE resources and the Placer Air Pollution Control District to obtain all required permits, including an LE-07 permit for broadcast burning. The landowner has completed all necessary preparatory work to minimize the risk of escape or loss of control. This includes building containment lines, pruning residual trees, removing ladder fuels, and ensuring an adequate water supply for heat management and fire suppression, if necessary.

Firing operations during the burn will be conducted with careful consideration to minimize smoke impacts on the community, and the burn will be implemented in strict accordance with the requirements outlined in the burn permit. Should weather conditions not align with the appropriate prescription, the burn will be canceled to ensure safety and compliance.

With funding from CAL FIRE, the Placer RCD’s Prescribed Burning on Private Lands (PBPL) Program and the Placer Prescribed Burn Association (PBA) aim to train community members in the safe application of prescribed fire. This training is provided through a combination of classroom workshops and on-the-ground training demonstrations, intended to increase the pace and scale of prescribed fire on private lands in Placer County. These public educational events also serve as training opportunities to educate landowners and land managers on the benefits and appropriate application of prescribed fire.

Community members are encouraged to attend and participate in these events. To register, please contact Cordi Craig, Placer RCD Prescribed Fire Program Manager, at cordi@placerrcd.org.