Big Bear, CA, April 24th, 2016 – Forest Service Fire crews are planning to burn approximately 12 acres as part of the Angelus Oaks Fuel Reduction project. Weather and conditions permitting, firefighters are planning to start the burning project as early as Tuesday next week.
The project area will be divided into two sections along road 1N12 immediately north of the Angelus Oaks community. Smoke and flames will be visible to residents and motorists along State Route 38 and may be visible from other mountain communities and highways.
Firefighters will be using a technique called “hand burning” using a variety of tools such as drip torch and fusses to reduce the chaparral and dry fuels within the area. Crews will continually monitor conditions and adjust burning as based on favorable weather conditions.
“Prescribed burns can help reduce the risk of a catastrophic wildland fires that can affect surrounding communities within our urban face forest by removing dry fuels from the underbrush of the canopy” stated Front Country District Ranger Christine Hill. “The removal of these fuels can reduce flame length to prevent fires from torching healthier trees” adds Hill.
The Angelus Oaks Fuel Reduction project has reduced fuels around the Angelus Oaks community. Pile burning and broadcast burning are part of fuels treatments that include mechanical removal of vegetation. Fuel reduction projects near mountain communities include removing dead trees as well as thinning and stacking piles of dense brush, and burning the piles in the wet season.
Updates for this prescribe burn will be available on http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/ and the San Bernardino National Forest’s social media sites Facebook and Twitter.
