USFS PRESCRIBED BURN - NEAR BLUFF LAKE IN BIG BEAR - STARTING MAY 20TH 2019 ***POSTPONED***
SCM ALERT🚨, Wed May 15 2019, 07:23PM
PLANNED PRESCRIBED FIRE NEAR BIG BEAR HAS BEEN POSTPONED!
Burn was planned for next week near Bluff Lake south of Big Bear. Due to the current storm system and resulting moisture on the ground, the Bluff Mesa prescribed burn has been delayed. We will re-evaluate and return this spring when and if conditions are safe and productive. An announcement will be made if a new date is determined.
ORIGINAL POST:
*** USFS 178 ACRE PRESCRIBED BURN NEAR BLUFF LAKE IN BIG BEAR ***
Burning Starts on Monday, May 20th
(Map of burn area attached at bottom of this message)
== PRESS RELEASE BELOW ==
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — After a wet winter and with spring weather conditions continuing to be ideal for prescribed burning, San Bernardino National Forest officials are planning to begin ignitions in an area southwest of Big Bear Lake beginning Monday, May 20. The broadcast burn on Bluff Mesa is expected to last through the end of the week. Smoke will be visible in the immediate area and may even be seen from areas off the mountain.
The project is part of a larger effort to create defensible space for communities and infrastructure along the lake’s south shore. It is also aimed at restoring Bluff Meadow. 178 acres to the north and south of the meadow are targeted next week, with the remaining acres slated for burning later in the year if conditions allow.
“One of our highest priorities is to manage the forest to aid in protecting communities from wildfire,” said Mountaintop District Ranger Marc Stamer. “We have been preparing this area for prescribed burning for a number of years and are at a point where we can responsibly return fire to the landscape.”
The low-intensity prescribed burn will target needle cast and duff on forest floor. Lightning strikecaused fires historically frequented the area, but with fire suppression over the last century, the duff layer has built up. An unmanaged fire in the duff can reach the roots of trees, killing stands of them across an area. Fire crews have removed the duff layer around old growth trees, including the champion lodgepole pine, one of the world’s largest known of the species. Shared stewardship helped make this project possible. Meadow restoration work was partially funded by the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority. Additionally, Urban Conservation Crews from the Southern California Mountains Foundation aided forest staff in preparing the area for burning.
The project will help create defensible space and restore a meadow. Prescribed burning planned for Big Bear area Visitors to the immediate area should expect traffic delays along forest road 2N10 (Mill Creek) and possible closures of 2N11 (Santa Ana Divide) and 2N86. Access to the Champion
Lodgepole and Siberia Creek trails, as well as the upper side of the Castle Rock trail, may be impacted. Yellow Post Campsites #28 and #29 have been closed due to their close proximity to the treatment area and will reopen after the burn is completed and mopped up. During the burn, updates will be found on InciWeb and Twitter. Visitors with questions can call the Big Bear Discovery Center at 909-382-2790.
(attached: planned burn map)
Re: USFS PRESCRIBED BURN - NEAR BLUFF LAKE IN BIG BEAR - STARTING MAY 20TH 2019 ***POSTPONED***
SCM ALERT🚨, Sun May 19 2019, 03:55PM
This Prescribed Fire has been POSTPONED until further notice. This is due to the wet weather impacting the Big Bear Area.
SCM ALERT🚨, Wed May 15 2019, 07:23PM
PLANNED PRESCRIBED FIRE NEAR BIG BEAR HAS BEEN POSTPONED!
Burn was planned for next week near Bluff Lake south of Big Bear. Due to the current storm system and resulting moisture on the ground, the Bluff Mesa prescribed burn has been delayed. We will re-evaluate and return this spring when and if conditions are safe and productive. An announcement will be made if a new date is determined.
ORIGINAL POST:
*** USFS 178 ACRE PRESCRIBED BURN NEAR BLUFF LAKE IN BIG BEAR ***
Burning Starts on Monday, May 20th
(Map of burn area attached at bottom of this message)
== PRESS RELEASE BELOW ==
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — After a wet winter and with spring weather conditions continuing to be ideal for prescribed burning, San Bernardino National Forest officials are planning to begin ignitions in an area southwest of Big Bear Lake beginning Monday, May 20. The broadcast burn on Bluff Mesa is expected to last through the end of the week. Smoke will be visible in the immediate area and may even be seen from areas off the mountain.
The project is part of a larger effort to create defensible space for communities and infrastructure along the lake’s south shore. It is also aimed at restoring Bluff Meadow. 178 acres to the north and south of the meadow are targeted next week, with the remaining acres slated for burning later in the year if conditions allow.
“One of our highest priorities is to manage the forest to aid in protecting communities from wildfire,” said Mountaintop District Ranger Marc Stamer. “We have been preparing this area for prescribed burning for a number of years and are at a point where we can responsibly return fire to the landscape.”
The low-intensity prescribed burn will target needle cast and duff on forest floor. Lightning strikecaused fires historically frequented the area, but with fire suppression over the last century, the duff layer has built up. An unmanaged fire in the duff can reach the roots of trees, killing stands of them across an area. Fire crews have removed the duff layer around old growth trees, including the champion lodgepole pine, one of the world’s largest known of the species. Shared stewardship helped make this project possible. Meadow restoration work was partially funded by the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority. Additionally, Urban Conservation Crews from the Southern California Mountains Foundation aided forest staff in preparing the area for burning.
The project will help create defensible space and restore a meadow. Prescribed burning planned for Big Bear area Visitors to the immediate area should expect traffic delays along forest road 2N10 (Mill Creek) and possible closures of 2N11 (Santa Ana Divide) and 2N86. Access to the Champion
Lodgepole and Siberia Creek trails, as well as the upper side of the Castle Rock trail, may be impacted. Yellow Post Campsites #28 and #29 have been closed due to their close proximity to the treatment area and will reopen after the burn is completed and mopped up. During the burn, updates will be found on InciWeb and Twitter. Visitors with questions can call the Big Bear Discovery Center at 909-382-2790.
(attached: planned burn map)
Re: USFS PRESCRIBED BURN - NEAR BLUFF LAKE IN BIG BEAR - STARTING MAY 20TH 2019 ***POSTPONED***
SCM ALERT🚨, Sun May 19 2019, 03:55PM
This Prescribed Fire has been POSTPONED until further notice. This is due to the wet weather impacting the Big Bear Area.
