Prescribed fire operations begin this week in Carson City, Storey and Apline counties
CARSON CITY—Prescribed fire burning operations in southwest Carson City began Tuesday and will continue through the winter as conditions permit, according to officials at Nevada Division of Forestry (NDF). Smoke may be visible from Highway 50, they added.
The pile burning operation is taking place in the Clear Creek Drainage south of Highway 50.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is also burning slash piles starting Thursday, Jan. 6 in Alpine and Storey counties. In Alpine County, piles created from a fuels reduction project will be burned near the Faye-Luther Trailhead off Foothill Road. Piles in Storey County will be burned in the Virginia Highlands near Graves Road.
NDF officials said winter is the ideal time for pile burning because of the wet and snowy conditions. They added that the smoke from prescribed fires is less intense than that of wildfires.
Both projects are part of efforts to reduce wildfire fuels—brush and trees—and restore diverse ecosystems.
“In the event of a wildfire, reducing the fuel leads to less intense fires in the treated area that firefighters have a higher probability of containing,” said Carson City District Fire Management Officer Jonathan Palma.
Both agencies advised homeowners visit livingwithfire.com to learn more about prescribed fire operations and reducing wildfire risk around homes.
