May 8, 2019 – The Truckee Ranger District of Tahoe National Forest is planning a prescribed burn (controlled underburning) of 40 acres Wednesday, May 8th near Hobart Work Center and Hwy 89 North, west of the highway.
The ignition of this prescribed fire unit will only take place as long as weather parameters, fuel conditions, and smoke dispersal remains favorable and within the parameters of the prescribed fire plan. Weather forecasts this week predict that the area will stay dry, with a chance of precipitation later next week.
After the prescribed burn is completed, the area will be patrolled and monitored daily. Patrolling and monitoring is part of the prescribed fire plan. Patrolling and monitoring a prescribed burn after initial ignition will be carried out by qualified wildland fire fighters. Monitoring and patrolling will continue until fire is fully extinguished.
The Sierra Nevada Mountains are a fire dependent ecosystem. The presence of fire has sculpted and influenced the structure and growth of Sierra Nevada Forests for hundreds of years. Today, the risk of large, catastrophic wildfires has grown due rising temperatures, drought, forest disease, and the historic suppression of wildfires which has resulted in the buildup of forest fuels. When prescribed fires are successfully planned and implemented, the threat of large, catastrophic wildfires to our forests and adjacent communities is greatly reduced.