Burn will take place Dec. 11
The Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District — in cooperation with the Cloverdale Fire Protection District, Healdsburg City Fire Department, CalFire, Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District and private property owners — plans to conduct a prescribed burn on Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. The proposed prescribed burn area is 10.3 acres of timber litter.
The prescribed burn will start at approximately 9:30 a.m. and is located on the south and west aspects of Bradford Mountain, in the 6000 block of West Dry Creek Road, on the west side of the Dry Creek Valley. This location is in the same area as the Nov. 11, Nov. 29, and Dec. 3 prescribed burns.
According to a statement from the fire district, this is the first burn in a 36.8-acre treatment area located in a wildland urban interface area adjacent to where the 2020 Walbridge Fire burned, taking advantage of bulldozer lines that were constructed during the fire and roads maintained by property owners. The bulldozer lines will serve as fuel breaks and provide secondary control lines in the event of the prescribed fire “escaping” the proposed area to be burned. Smoke may be visible throughout north county due to the elevation and location.
Persons wishing to watch the prescribed burn will not be allowed to access the location due to private property restrictions. However, the fire district plans to provide opportunities for future prescribed burns to be available for the public to observe. They will also be posting videos on their Facebook page.
According to the fire district, prescribed burns serve two main purposes: 1) reduce the amount of surface vegetation to reduce the intensity of future wildfires, and 2) return wildfire to the ecosystem as a natural disturbance regime. Additional information about the benefits of prescribed burning can be found at Audubon Canyon Ranch’s Fire Forward website: https://www.egret.org/fire-forward
Prescribed burning is a form of land management conducted when conditions, most importantly weather and vegetation, are within favorable parameters with no strong winds forecasted. The planning process considers all variables and reduces the risk of an “escape” and impacts to air quality. Firefighters will remain onsite until nightfall with contingency plans to remain through the night if needed. Firefighters will continue to periodically patrol the burned area in the following week.
The Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District is committed to aggressive proactive vegetation management and plans to implement several additional prescribed burns throughout the 2020-21 winter. The district urges property owners to prepare now and maintain preparedness for future wildfires, prioritizing managing the vegetation around your buildings and looking at how your buildings are constructed to withstand embers. Together we can make a difference! More information is available at https://www.readyforwildfire.org/
