BLM and USWFS Launch Prescribed Burn Season in South Central California

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Wildland Fire Service will begin prescribed fire operations throughout eastern Fresno, western Kern, Kings, Madera, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare and Ventura counties as weather, fuel, and air quality become favorable. Operations will start as early as Oct. 28 and will continue throughout the fall and winter. These treatments are carefully planned to reduce hazardous fuels, protect nearby communities, and restore native ecosystems. Information about specific upcoming and active burns is available online.

"All of these projects are part of our commitment to sustaining public lands important to our communities," said John Hodge, acting manager of the BLM Bakersfield Field Office. "We carefully plan and execute these burns with the U.S. Wildland Fire Service to help protect communities and strengthen the health of our public lands."

Techniques range from broadcast burning, which is the application of fire to an entire area, to hand and machine pile ignitions. These burns focus on increasing safety in the wildland-urban interface and restoring ecological function to the landscape. Targeting built-up fuels and residual materials from previous thinning operations decreases the load of dead trees, branches, and underbrush that pose significant wildfire risks.

"Every acre we treat is an investment in safer communities and stronger landscape resilience," said David Brinsfield, Coastal Mountain Unit Fire Chief, US Wildland Fire Service. "When we apply low-intensity fire to the landscape, we're not just reducing risk, we're leading with grit, stewardship, and the determination to leave the landscape better for those who follow."

What the public should know

• Smoke may be visible from nearby communities and to motorists traveling near project areas while prescribed fire operations are underway.
• Smoke may settle in low-lying areas overnight.
• Residents are encouraged to close windows at night to avoid smoke impacts.
• When driving in smoky areas, drivers should slow down and turn on headlights.
• People with heart or lung disease, asthma or other chronic conditions should ask their doctors about protecting themselves from smoke and monitor their local air quality map.
• Burns are conducted only when weather, fuel and air quality conditions are within established parameters.
• Firefighters use natural features and constructed control lines to keep prescribed fire contained and minimize smoke impacts on nearby communities.

All burns are carried out when weather, fuel conditions, and air quality are within specific parameters. Firefighters use a combination of natural features and constructed control lines to keep the fire contained, with protocols in place to minimize smoke impacts on nearby communities.

For more information, contact the BLM Bakersfield Field Office at (661) 391-6000 or [email protected].