Fall Prescribed Burn: Yosemite National Park

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Fall Prescribed Burn: Yosemite National Park

Fall Prescribed Burn Notification:

Yosemite National Park is planning to begin fall prescribed fire activities in the Yosemite Valley area.

Weather and air quality permitting, YV-15 will begin around September 16th, while YV-4 is slated for the following week. Each unit will only take a day to complete, once begun.

These two burns, when complete, will likely total around 79 acres. YV-4 is immediately east of Bridalveil Meadow. YV-15 is east of the El Capitan Picnic Area. Both units are north of the Merced River adjacent to Northside Drive. Both units have been burned in the past and are comprised primarily of ponderosa pine and other mixed conifers.

Park staff will monitor smoke on a consistent basis; however smoky conditions may exist for the duration of this project, particularly in the morning, and continue for several days. Smoke impacts to Northside Drive and Yosemite Lodge area may occur. Residents and visitors are advised to take precautions to minimize smoke impacts. People with respiratory problems should use caution when exerting themselves in smoky areas.

Drivers should use extreme caution and abide by posted speed limits.

Fire has a natural role in maintaining healthy ecosystems in Yosemite. Prescribed fire is designed to thin forests and reduce unnatural fuel loads in areas that are in close proximity to public and private structures as well as visitor use areas. Prescribed fires help provide important community protection, as well as create a mosaic of diverse habitats for plants and animals. Fire helps recycle nutrients to the soil which aids the sprouting and re-growth of plants, shrubs, and trees.

For further information:
Yosemite’s Fire Information Office: 209/372-0480
Yosemite’s Prescribed Fire Manager, Mike Beasley: 209/375-9574

No comments:

How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Saturday, September 13, 2008