Prescribed burn planned for Tobacco Gulch

Taking advantage of favorable weather conditions Eldorado National Forest officials are planning an understory prescribed firing operation in the Tobacco Gulch Ecological Restoration Project area, 3 miles east of Georgetown in the vicinity of Darling Ridge, Mace Mill and Balderston roads. Operations will occur the week of Oct. 9 through Oct. 14.

 

This operation is a part of the Tobacco Gulch Ecological Restoration Project, an ongoing fuels treatment project in the Eldorado National Forest. The Tobacco Gulch project includes 1,406 acres of prescribed fire, 1,385 acres of mechanical treatment and 907 acres of invasive plant management. Some areas of the project were treated in the past and are being burned to keep the fuel load from building back up.

 

The project is part of the Tahoe‐Central Sierra Initiative that is using innovative strategies to increase the pace and scale of restoration across watersheds in the central Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe areas. Large portions of the project are being implemented by the National Wild Turkey Federation through a master stewardship agreement with the Forest Service, a partnership with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and grant funding from Cal Fire.

 

Every understory burning operation follows a specialized burn plan, in which temperature, humidity, wind, vegetation moisture and smoke dispersal conditions are considered daily before a prescribed fire is implemented. 

 

Weather permitting, the operation goal is to have ignitions carried out Oct. 9 and after then there will be additional days dedicated to mop-up securement and patrolling as needed. There will be no closures in the area during operations.

 

The goal of the Tobacco Gulch prescribed fire is to enhance community wildfire protection for nearby homes and businesses by reducing hazardous fuels. Other benefits of prescribed fire include improving wildlife habitat and reintroducing fire into a fire-dependent ecosystem. Removing excess vegetation, prescribed fire reduces the severity of future wildfires which helps protect communities and makes the landscape more resilient. It also makes room for new growth, which provides forage for wildlife, recycles nutrients back into the soil, and helps reduce the spread of insects and disease in forests.

 

With all fire comes smoke, and the U.S. Forest Service works to mitigate smoke impacts from prescribed fires on the communities in the area. While smoke may be visible in the area during the prescribed fire operation, individuals with respiratory issues or sensitive conditions should take precautions to avoid exposure to smoke. Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size, conditions and weather. Prescribed fire smoke is generally less intense and of much shorter

duration than smoke produced by unwanted wildfires. Fire managers consider optimal conditions for dispersal and duration of smoke impacts when planning prescribed burns.