Widespread prescribed fire operations to continue

The Nevada Division of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service started prescribed fire operations in the Incline Village, Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, Heavenly, Slaughterhouse Canyon, Christmas Valley, Pioneer Trail and McKinney Rubicon areas on Friday.

They are burning 186 acres of hand piles at Van Sickle Bi-State Park, 29 acres of understory at Tunnel Creek, 15 acres of hand piles in Christmas Valley, 70 acres of hand piles near Ski Run/Heavenly Valley, 22 acres of hand piles at Slaughterhouse, 50 acres of hand piles on Pioneer Trail and 50 acres of hand piles in the McKinney Rubicon area.

Fall and winter bring cooler temperatures and precipitation, which favor prescribed burning. Each 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. The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) gives as much advance notice as possible before burning, but some operations may be conducted on short notice.

Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size. The agencies coordinate with state and local county air pollution control districts and monitors 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.