Prescribed fires at Spooner Summit, around Lake Tahoe Basin resume Monday
Submitted by editor on Fri, 02/19/2016 - 1:04pm
Prescribed fire operations at Spooner Summit and various places around Lake Tahoe will begin Monday, according to the Tahoe Fire and Fuels team.
On the East Shore, operations may take place near Logan Shoals Vista Point, Spooner Summit and Sand Harbor. On the South Shore, operations may take place near Eagle Point Campground, Spring Creek and Panther Road. On the West Shore, operations may take place near Sugar Pine Point and D.L. Bliss state parks and on the North Shore near Burton Creek State Park.
Go here to view a map with project locations and details. Residual smoke may be seen in locations where operations have taken place over the last several weeks. The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team gives as much advance notice as possible before burning, but some operations may be conducted on short notice in areas not identified on the map.
Winter brings cooler temperatures and precipitation, which favor prescribed burning. Each prescribed fire operation follows a prescribed fire burn plan, which considers temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke. This information is used to decide when and where to burn.
Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size and environmental conditions. Agencies coordinate with state and local county air pollution control districts and monitor weather conditions closely prior to prescribed fire ignition. They wait for favorable conditions that will carry smoke up and out of the Basin. Crews also conduct test burns before igniting a larger area, to verify how effectively fuels are consumed how smoke will travel.
Before conducting prescribed fire operations, agencies post road signs around areas affected by prescribed fire, send email notifications and update the local fire information line at 530-543-2816. To receive prescribed fire notifications, send an email to pa_ltbmu@fs.fed.us. Go here for more information on prescribed fire operations and smoke management tips.
