Arnold, CA…The following is information regarding a prescribed burn planned on the Stanislaus National Forest.
Prescribed Fire Name / Ranger District: Irish/O’Manuel Prescribed Burn, Unit 16, Calaveras Ranger District.
General and Specific Location: Located approximately 1 mile west of Arnold, along County Road 323 Valley View Road, Township 4N, Range 14E, Sections 1 and 12. Please do not report as a wildland fire.

Projected Duration: Ignition of the prescribed burn may begin May 29th, 2018 with controlled burning to continue into June as conditions allow. 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.

Planned Size of Prescribed Burn: A total of 34 acres are to be treated with low-intensity fire. Size of burn may vary with weather and fuel moisture conditions, as well as permissible air quality burn days.

Type of Prescribed Burn: Low intensity underburn

Burn Project Objectives: Reduce the buildup of flammable forest fuels, both ground fuels and ladder fuels; reduce the threat of uncontrolled, large and damaging fires;
• Improve protection of life and property in the communities of Arnold;
• Enhance public and firefighter safety;
• Protect campgrounds and forest and private infrastructure;
• Protect watershed values and wildlife habitat by creating a mosaic pattern of vegetation.

Public Benefits: Prescribed burning is an effective cost efficient method of reducing flammable forest fuels, improving firefighting capabilities, and reducing the impacts of large uncontrolled damaging wildland fires.
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Resource Benefits: Controlled, or prescribed, low-intensity fires enhance wildlife habitat, protect and maintain water quality and soil productivity, improve forest ecosystem health, and reduce the threat of uncontrolled conflagrations. The Sierra Nevada is a fire dependent ecosystem, where fire is part of the natural forest process.

Public Advisory: Smoke may be visible from Hwy 4 and surrounding communities. Fire managers are working closely with local air districts and the California Air Resource Board to mitigate the effects of smoke to the public. This project is a planned prescribed fire. Please do not report as a wildland fire.
Thank you for your cooperation!
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The mission of the U.S. Forest Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the nation’s clean water supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year. The agency has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million forested acres within the U.S., of which 100 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.