NEVADA CITY, Calif. April 2, 2021 – A prescribed burn will be conducted on one-half acre of private land on Merrimas Way between Rock Creek Road and Hudson Road on the north side of Round Mountain. It will be directed by a retired firefighter/forester experienced in conducting burns. Personnel will be volunteers from the Yuba Bear Burn Cooperative, friends and neighbors. 

This low-intensity surface burn will be completed in one day. After completion, the area will be patrolled and monitored daily until fire is fully extinguished.

Northern Sierra Air Quality Management Board has confirmed that Saturday will be a permissive burn day. Permits are not required by CalFire, but the local battalion chiefs have been notified and their command center will be contacted the morning of the burn.   

If you smell smoke in the area, do not report it. You may wish to stay indoors temporarily. Smoke may settle into drainages and low lying areas along the South Yuba River canyon during cooler nighttime temperatures and lift out the next day as temperatures increase.

We are monitoring weather patterns and fuel moisture to ensure we meet the prescription outlined in the burn plan. Predicted weather forecasts over the next few days are for continued dry weather, which will lead to a more efficient burn and reduce smoke levels. 

The goal of this burn is to reduce fuel loads, improve wildlife habitat and forest health, and re-introduce fire to the landscape. It is a small portion of a 17-acre burn unit which was prepared for burning in 2020, including forest thinning, removal of ladder fuels, and creation of a perimeter control zone. This burn will also provide training so our community has more fire-experienced people. 

Known as Lone Bobcat Woods Wildlife Preserve, the property has conservation easements held by the Bear Yuba Land Trust. They plan future prescribed burns to increase the area of reduced fuels. This in turn reduces the threat of a wildfire because the fuel is no longer available to burn.