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The U.S. Forest Service plans to ignite 465 acres in the Irish Understory Prescribed Burn on Wednesday in the Calaveras Ranger District, and the fire is expected to burn for the following one to two weeks. The prescribed burn was planned for January, but cancelled due to unusually dry conditions. A scheduled ignition Monday had to be postponed again, according to a spokesman at the Hathaway Pines ranger district office.
The burn is to be centered about a half-mile to a mile north of White Pines, along Summit Level. Smoke may be visible from Highway 4, with some down canyon drift smoke visible in the evening and early morning. Burning is contingent on weather, fuel, moisture and air quality. All burning is monitored and conducted in accordance with state and county air quality guidelines and closely coordinated with local county air quality control districts, according to a Forest Service statement. “Low-intensity fire,” with planned ignition of about 50 to 100 acres daily is planned. The ultimate size of the burn may vary with weather and fuel conditions, as well as permissible air quality burn days. The fire is designed to improve protection for life and property in the communities of Arnold and White Pines, reduce the buildup of flammable ground and ladder forest fuels, reduce the threat of uncontrolled and damaging fires and to maintain fuel breaks to slow or halt the spread of wildfire. The Forest Service has asked the public not to report the prescribed fire as a wildland fire. |