WILLITS, 1/27/19 — If you saw, or see, smoke in the Laytonville area today, don’t worry. Despite the unseasonably warm weather, this is not a wildfire, but a prescribed burn being conducted by Cal Fire on private land.
Here are the details:
Shamrock Ranch Area Prescribed Burn Scheduled
Mendocino County, CA– On Sunday, January 27, 2019, beginning at approximately 12 noon and lasting until approximately 4 P.M., CAL FIRE Mendocino Unit will be conducting a vegetation management prescribed burn on privately-owned land near the Shamrock Ranch in the northern portion of Mendocino County, Laytonville area.
The prescribed burning conducted under this Vegetation Management Program (VMP) project will be done to meet a specific objective and conducted under specific climatic conditions to ensure control and minimize air quality and biological impacts. These conditions will mimic conditions under which natural wildfires occur to maximize the positive effects of fire on vegetation.
The primary goal of this prescribed burn is to reintroduce fire as a natural element of the ecosystem. A second goal is to improve wildlife habitat by inducing new shoots from sprouting species to increase forage production, with islands of unburned fuel left within burn units to provide shelter for small mammals. A third goal is to reduce overall fuel loading to decrease the chance of catastrophic wildfires in the future.
This project burn will be conducted as weather and fuel conditions allow. Smoke and aircraft may be visible in the area.For information on how to create Defensible Space, as well as tips to prevent wildfires, visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org.
Cal Fire