Prescribed Fire at Packers Bay
Incident: Northwoods Deuce Prescribed Fire
Released: 3/18/2013
NEWS RELEASE
U.S. Forest Service ● Shasta-Trinity National Forest
Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area
14225 Holiday Road, Redding, CA 96003 ● Voice (530) 275-1587 ● Web: www.fs.usda.gov/stnf
Contact: Andrea Capps, (530) 242-5546
(530) 605-7337
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3/18/2013
Prescribed Fire at Packers Bay
REDDING, Calif., March 18, 2013 - On March 19, 2013, the Shasta Lake Unit of the National Recreation Area on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest may be conducting a prescribed fire to remove understory fuels on National Forest System lands in the area of Packers Bay. The project site is located between Packers Bay and Halfway Cove. The prescribed fire will create smoke that will be visible from many areas in the southern portion of Shasta Lake and along Interstate 5 near Bridge Bay. Implementation is planned to take approximately four to six hours, but smoke may continue to be visible through the following few days.
The project's expected initiation dates are dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to favorable weather and site conditions. Fire Managers will be evaluating conditions to ensure compliance with policy and utilization of best management practices. Fire Managers will be working with the Air Quality Management Board to ensure compliance with air quality regulations and health and safety conditions.
This project is part of the Northwoods Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project which totals approximately 1,250 acres of prescribed fire and mechanical treatment. This Project is the latest component of a multiple entry plan to treat the landscape south of O'Brien Mountain and west of Interstate 5. The area covered by the prescribed fire will create a landscape with a reduced amount of ladder fuels and dead vegetation, making fire suppression efforts easier. Once treated, the site will provide a safer place for firefighters to work and better opportunities to control fires because of reduced fire behavior. Prescribed fire is also an integral part of a fire adapted ecosystem which promotes future forest health and habitat.
Fire Managers intend to implement approximately 155 acres of prescribed fire during this week. This will be achieved by conducting prescribed fire on smaller segments over multiple days, non-consecutively, through the winter and early spring. This is done to create a mosaic effect on the landscape, manage air quality compliance, and utilize conditions that suggest best achievement of objectives.
For more information or updates about burn progress, please contact Jason Fallon at the Shasta Lake Ranger Station, (530) 275-1587 or visit http://inciweb.org/incident/3324/.
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