San Bernardino National Forest Prescribed Burns

The U.S. Forest Service will begin their prescribed burning operations on the San Bernardino National Forest to foster a healthier and natural burn cycle in the forest. Winter burning projects also will resume as part of a continuing effort to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire and improve forest health. The prescribed fire program will continue through the winter and spring months as weather and conditions permit. Prescribed fires including both understory pile burning are intended to reduce the amount of vegetation, such as needles, small plants, brush, and small trees, which can carry fire from the forest floor into the treetops. Studies and experience have shown that prescribed fires will stimulate the growth of grasses, forbs and shrubs that provide food for deer, mountain quail and other wildlife. The ignition of all prescribed burns is dependent on the availability of personnel and equipment, appropriate conditions, and in coordination with the National Weather Service and South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) before and during prescribed burns in order to manage smoke production and minimize impacts as much as possible. Fire managers follow a burn plan that outlines the “prescription” or environmental conditions such as temperature, wind, fuel moisture, ventilation, and relative humidity that need to be present before the project begins. When the criteria are met, crews implement, monitor, and patrol each burn to ensure it meets the goals and objectives outlined by managers. Firefighters will be burning slash and debris piles adjacent to Forest Service Fire Stations. Signs will be posted along the roadways to alert passerby’s to the burning activity. The Forest Service will send out occasional reminders to the public, alerting to potential smoke in the air. In addition to the station pile burning, the public may also see smoke from pile burning activities in the following forest locations over the next several months: San Bernardino Mountaintop: Slash and debris piles burning: Big Pine: northwest of 2N13 Bluff Mesa, southwest of Big Bear Lake, West of Clarke Summit South Big Bear, Southside of Big Bear Lake, north of Grand View Point, north of Sugar Loaf Mountain Converse Station, south of 1N04, north of Seven Oaks Heart Bar, Santa Ana River Drainage east of 1N02 SR173 north of Grass Valley Rd in Lake Arrowhead SR18 near Heaps Peak Helibase and Arboretum Slash and pile burning near various fire stations San Jacinto Mountains: Prescribed fire - Thomas Mountain, east of Ramona Indian Reservation and west of Garner Valley. Slash and debris piles burning: Unit 1 Pine Cove, south and west of Pine Cove Unit 2 South Ridge, south of Idyllwild Unit 3 Strawberry/West Ridge, southeast of Strawberry Creek and west of Dry Creek Slash and pile burning near various fire stations Front Country: Prescribed fire – Angelus Oaks Community Defense Project, north of Angelus Oaks on 1N12 Broadcast and debris pile burning: Oak Glen Community Defense Project, on Cherry Canyon Truck Trail north of Mile High Ranch, Pisgah Peak and Yucaipa Ridge- slash pile burning Lytle Creek-Boa prescribed burn project- slash pile burning along 3N31 We appreciate the public’s tolerance of some smoke impacts in order to achieve the San Bernardino National Forest’s fire prevention and resource management goals, and the public can call our local offices to find out where we are burning at the following numbers: Big Bear Ranger Station & Discovery Center (909)382-2790 Lytle Creek Ranger Station (909)382-2851 Idyllwild Ranger Station (909)382-2921 Mill Creek Work Center (909)382-2882 Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument (760)862-9984