Hand Pile Burning To Begin At Columbia State Historic Park

Pile burning

Columbia, CA— Hand pile burns will begin next week and last for months in Columbia State Historic Park, and smoke will be visible along Highway 49 and nearby communities like Springfield and Sonora.

The State of California, through the Wildfire and Forest Resiliency Program, is funding the burns. California State Park officials report that active pile burning will begin on Monday, March 10th, and continue over several months in the Springfield, maintenance yard, and Karen Bakerville Trail areas, weather conditions and resources permitting. They added, “Pile burning operations produce significantly less smoke than wildfires. However, smoke will remain in the area after active burning has stopped.”

This is part of a prescribed fire program for vegetation management, hazardous fuel load reduction, wildlife habitat improvement, enhancement of the health of the landscape by removing diseased materials, restoring essential nutrients to the soil, and reducing the chance of a catastrophic wildfire. Signage will be placed at the beginning of roads and trails impacted by the burn operations. Park officials ask the public to “please adhere to the signs and stay out of areas during active burning.”

State park officials noted that the program “expands on critical land management carried out by state parks for decades and supports increasing the pace and scale of fuel treatments so that California’s state park system can become an example of resilient ecosystems maintained through active stewardship.”