National Fire Plan Success Story

Tragedy Prescribed Burns Helped Stop Cedar Fire
Cleveland National Forest, California
National Fire Plan - Fuels Reduction
January 2007

01/30/2007 04:35 PM - This is a good example, although it looks like it's already on the books. After a Northeast wind drove the Cedar fire Southwest, the following wind pattern drove the whole Southeast flank (many miles long) back to the East, and it was all we could do to protect communities along its southern edge. The Tragedy prescribed burns helped stop the Southeast corner.

There is a little that the article doesn't mention - there was a lot more unburned fuel than just the riparian drainage. The Tragedy II phase wasn't able to get fire to burn well on the north slope (the south side of the drainage where the Cedar fire made its way through).The Tragedy III phase was stopped before bringing fire to the south end of the unit because the fire was too active and a decision was made to cut off burning, leaving a fairly wide band of unburned fuel on the North side of the drainage. The original plan for Tragedy III had been to "close the box" by firing along the drainage, but instead we burned only the top and sides, then spent weeks securing open line that would have been interior had the burn been completed as planned.

Given the severity of the Cedar fire, the effectiveness of the prescribed burns is significant. If conditions would have allowed us to complete Tragedy III, and burn fuels better on the north end of Tragedy II, the Cedar fire might not have gotten through there at all.

Steve G Wilson, Battalion 33
Palomar Ranger District, Cleveland National Forest
Phone: 760-788-0250 ext 3353
Fax: 760-788-6130 / Cell: 619-840-6322
Email: sgwilson@fs.fed.us