CA-YNP Yosemite Ahwahnee Meadow Prescribed Burn Mariposa County

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

CA-YNP Yosemite Ahwahnee Meadow Prescribed Burn Mariposa County

AHWAHNEE MEADOW – Prescribed Burn - Mariposa County

Ignition of the 62 acre prescribed burn at Ahwahnee Meadow began today; a total of 50 acres were completed. The remaining 12 acres will be scheduled for ignition tomorrow morning, Tuesday September 13, 2016.

Smoke will be present during burning operations. Smoke, affecting health, is always a consideration in the decision to schedule prescribed fires. Community members and visitors who are sensitive to smoke may want to close their windows and doors and/or consider leaving the area during active ignition of the project in order to reduce exposure.

The objective of this prescribed burn is ecosystem restoration. Historically, natural fire burned an average of 16,000 acres annually in Yosemite National Park and played an integral role in shaping Yosemite’s ecosystem. Yosemite’s Fire Management program is designed to balance the protection of life, property and natural and cultural resources with the continuation of fire as a nature process. Applying fire under prescribed conditions mimics the frequent, low intensity, lightning caused fires. Fire also allows for the recycling of nutrients to the soil, which encourages the germination and regrowth of plants, shrubs, and trees.

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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

Tuesday, September 13, 2016