REGION — Cleveland National Forest leaders announced today that they plan to conduct prescribed burns across ranger districts this week to prepare for fire season.
If approved, the burns will continue through fall and into spring to reduce overgrown vegetation with a goal of 4,000 acres of managed burn.
“While high-severity wildfires pose extreme risk to forest ecosystems, the low to moderate-intensity fires, the kind we use with prescribed burns, can play a key role in keeping those same ecosystems healthy by reducing understory density and returning nutrients to the soil,” said Scott Grasmick, Cleveland National Forest’s deputy fire chief for prescribed fire, fuels and prevention.
“During our planning phase for prescribed burns, we take into consideration the local temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke to get the best results for that area and as safely as possible,” he added.
Areas near those operations may close to the public for several days for public safety, a CNF statement said. The public is asked to watch for warning signs along roads near all prescribed fire areas before and during burns.
Prescribed fires planned for the Cleveland National Forest include:
- Descanso Ranger District (planned 2,620 acres): Areas on Mount Laguna, in the Pine Valley Community Defense fuel break, District Oak Woodlands projects near Bear Valley, Pine Creek and near Guatay, Campo and Descanso.
- Palomar Ranger District (planned 1,911 acres): In and around Palomar Mountain, Aguanga, Warner Springs and Oak Grove.
- Trabuco Ranger District (planned 596 acres): Pleasants Peak, North Sierra Peak, Rancho Capistrano and Rancho Carrillo.
