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National Fire Plan Success Story

Dog Prescribed Fire Closes Out Busy Fire Season for Park
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, California
National Fire Plan - Fuels Reduction
2009

Prescribed burn.
Conditions for a successful burn proved just right to meet the objectives of reducing hazardous fuels.

After a busy summer fighting wildfires, Whiskeytown Fire Management was able to complete the 672-acre Dog Prescribed Fire on October 15 to 17, 2008. This is the first significant prescribed burn Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (NRA) has completed since fall 2005, as for the past three years weather, air quality, and availability of resources have not been ideal. In October 2008, Whiskeytown received two inches of rain, and fire staff switched gears from fighting wildfires to reducing forest fuels.

On October 15, 2008, everything came together and conditions were appropriate to conduct the Dog Prescribed Fire. While the rain helped to moderate fire behavior, there were still complex issues for which to be concerned, including a major highway, key roads into popular areas of the park, and Western Authority Power Administration power lines (WAPA). Public Information also proved challenging due to a long wildfire season that affected air quality and threatened homes and property.

Resources on hand to support the burn included staff from Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, the Bureau of Land Management, United States Forest Service, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lava Beds National Monument, and contract crews from Firestorm. Significant planning was in place for possible road closures and key contacts were informed of the burn. Regular press releases and notifications were made, but due to the extreme wildfire season, extra efforts were made to get the word out. Key messages regarding suppression efforts, fuel treatments, and firefighter safety were used. The Public Information Officer provided interviews for radio, news, and print media, and answered many phone calls during the three-day burn.

This burn proved successful for Whiskeytown even with the challenges, and conditions were good for meeting prescribed fire objectives. This burn, surrounded by previous burn units from 1999 to 2005, was an important link in the east side fuel projects. These projects help to protect communities at risk near the east boundary of the park.

Contact: Carol Jandrall, Fire Communication and Education Specialist, (530) 242-3438.