April 6, 2021 – Three prescribed burns on private properties will be conducted this week in western Nevada County. On Tuesday April 6th there will be a half-acre burn on Deer Creek canyon two miles below Nevada City. On Wednesday April 7th there will be a 1.5 acre burn on the north side of Round Mountain near Merrimas Way. On Friday April 9th there will be a half-acre burn southeast of the intersection of You Bet and Mule Canyon Roads. Personnel will be volunteers from the Yuba Bear Burn Cooperative, friends and neighbors.
Each low-intensity surface burn will be completed in one day. After completion, burned areas will be patrolled and monitored daily until fire is fully extinguished.
We are working with Air Quality and CAL FIRE to make sure these burns are given the green light.
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 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 burn plans. Predicted weather forecasts for this week are for continued dry weather, which will lead to more efficient burns and reduce smoke levels.
The goal of these burns is to reduce fuel loads, improve wildlife habitat and forest health, and re-introduce fire to the landscape. These properties were prepared for burning by forest thinning, removal of ladder fuels, and creation of a perimeter control zone. The burns will also provide training so our community has more fire-experienced people.
Future prescribed burns will increase the area of reduced fuels. This in turn reduces the threat of a wildfire because the fuel is no longer available to burn.