Cleveland National Forest: Prescribed Burn

Cleveland National Forest: Prescribed Burn
Forest Service fire personnel conducted pile burns across 30 acres on Palomar Mountain on the Cleveland National Forest January 28-29, 2023.

The prescribed fire project, designed to support forest health and to protect nearby communities, was carried out by 30 firefighters from the Palomar Ranger District. Prescribed fire is one essential way to create fuel breaks around communities. Treated areas like the one on Palomar Mountain may help to slow the progress and intensity of future wildfire and can give wildland firefighters an opportunity to more safely engage.

These fuel treatments are continuously taking place across the Cleveland National Forest and forests across California and are planned to expand in the coming years with newly added support from the agency's Wildfire Crisis Strategy.

The nationwide strategy, now in its second year, is committed to addressing the wildfire crisis in the places where it poses the most immediate threats to communities. Early this year the agency announced an additional 11 landscapes, including 4 million acres across Southern California forests.

When carrying out these fuel reduction treatments in forests, the safety of firefighters and nearby residents is paramount. On the day of a prescribed fire operation conditions are a prime consideration for fire managers in determining whether to implement a prescribed fire. If any of the weather conditions do not adhere to strict guidelines, then the operation is postponed to a date when conditions are more favorable. Some of those weather conditions include wind speed and direction, temperature, drought history/ recent precipitation, relative humidity and fuel moistures.