CAL FIRE continues the Lone Pine Burn Project

CAL FIRE is planning to continue the Lone Pine vegetation management burn projects located north of the community of Lone Pine if conditions are favorable to conduct the prescribed burn and within the burn parameters of the permits. The Lone Pine Fire Safe Council is funding this critical vegetation management project. The first of three units is located approximately two miles north of Lone Pine and east of Highway 395. The 395 unit is about 40-acres and was partially completed last week. Burning the remainder of this area is expected to be completed this week. CAL FIRE officials plan to conduct burning operations on Tuesday, Wednesday and maybe Thursday, February 7,8,9, 2012. If the first burn unit is completed, burning will begin on the second CAL FIRE burn project located just north of Narrow Gauge Road, and the third CAL FIRE project, immediately north of the Lone Pine airport. There are also several other burn projects planned by the Department of Water and Power and local land owners who lease DWP land. These projects have been approved by CAL FIRE who has issued the permits and has set the boundaries of what can be done.

These projects are necessary to reduce the over growth of vegetation that has occurred in that area. The reduction of the decadent vegetation will help in protecting the watershed while reducing the fire threat to Lone Pine.

During the burning, there will be smoke in the air, but part of the burn plan is to reduce the impact that the smoke might have on local communities. The burn program is subject to strict operational guidelines that must be met before the vegetation is ignited.

Burn Program Returns to the Owens Valley

CAL FIRE's San Bernardino Unit is set to begin several vegetation management burns over the next few weeks in an area about two miles north of the community of Lone Pine in the Owens Valley. The reintroduction of vegetation management burn projects was considered necessary to reduce the abundant growth of decadent vegetation in the area.

Two projects, Lone Pine North and the Lone Pine Airport projects are under the direct control of CAL FIRE in cooperation with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP). Several other burn projects have been permitted by CAL FIRE but will be conducted by the DWP and some private land owners who lease land from the DWP. The projects conducted by the DWP and the private landowners will be controlled by them, however they will be working from a permit issued by CAL FIRE which sets the boundaries and conditions for their projects.

The CAL FIRE burn projects have strict guidelines that must be met before the vegetation is ignited. Additionally, every project area will have a control line around it in order to keep the fire within the intended project area. CAL FIRE is planning to burn some black line around parts of the Lone Pine North project areas this week.

The plan is to remove the excess vegetation helping to reduce the fire threat north of Lone Pine as well as improving the local watershed.