A 413-acre planned burn is set to get underway Wednesday in the Calaveras Ranger District of the Stanislaus National Forest.
The Moore/Bellfour Understory burn will be ignited near the North Fork of the Mokelumne River, six miles west of Bear Valley. Between 40-60 acres will be ignited daily and it will take between 7-10 days to complete. The burn area will consist of mixed conifer, red fir and montane chaparral. Smoke will be visible along Highway 4 near Bear Valley. Burning is weather permitting and it will be coordinated with local air quality control districts.
The Forest Service reports that prescribed burning is a cost efficient method of reducing flammable forest fuels, improving firefighting capabilities and reducing the impacts of large wildfires. The Sierra Nevada is a fire depending ecosystem, where fire is part of the natural forest process.
Written by BJ Hansen.
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