National Fire Plan Success Story

Moonlight Fire Tests Fuel Treatments
Mount Hough Ranger District, Plumas National Forest
National Fire Plan - Fuels Reduction
September 3-13, 2007

The Moonlight Fire started on the Mount Hough Ranger District of the Plumas National Forest on September 3, 2007. Given the fuel loading and dry, windy conditions, the fire burned with high severity through mostly dense mixed conifer forest types. The fire impacted several treated areas including the Hungry and North Antelope Fuel treatments and the older Cat Eye's and Wilcox sales. The Hungry Project was completed in 2006 collaboration with the Quincy Library Group. These areas were treated with a combination of thinning, prescribed fire, mastication, and pile burning; the Cat Eye's and Wilcox sales were primarily early salvage projects and the Hungry and North Antelope Projects were fuel treatments. Within these treatments, fire fighters were able fight the fire more safely. After the fire, many of these areas had lower overall fire severity when compared with un-treated areas.

Overall, the treated areas provided a safer place for fire fighters to fight the fire and resulted in lower overall fire severity. Dr. JoAnn Fites' Fire Behavior Assessment Team is further studying treatment effects in the Moonlight Fire.

Contact: Jason Moghaddas, Fire Ecologist, Mt Hough Ranger District; jmoghaddas@fs.fed.us or (530) 284-7376