U.S. Forest Service firefighters are slated to carry out a series of controlled burns next week in the San Bernardino National Forest, near Idyllwild, to reduce excess vegetation that might otherwise fuel wildfires.
Starting Monday, roughly 600 acres are targeted for reduction on the Riverside County side of the 676,000-acre national preserve.
“Prescribed burning is an active forest management activity that helps restore ecological functions to ecosystems,” according to a USFS statement. “Fire has a natural role in coniferous regions of the San Bernardino National Forest. Caused naturally by lightning, fire has long maintained the health of forests, clearing brush on the forest floor and releasing seeds from pine cones, among other natural processes.”
During winter, conditions are generally safe for burns, which will be closely monitored and immediately suspended when there are signs of increasing winds or extremely low humidity, according to the USFS.
Officials said crews will be eliminating dense foliage around Garner Valley, southeast of Idyllwild. The operation will likely span several weeks.
“Each day of the project will differ,” the USFS stated. “Some days, crews will conduct ignitions, and other days, they will patrol and monitor areas with smoldering fire.”
Officials advised visitors to Thomas Mountain, as well as surrounding hiking and biking trails and campgrounds not to be alarmed by the smoke.
Different burn methods will be utilized. One will be broadcast burning, which entails removing vegetation over a large space with pre-determined boundaries. The other is slash pile burning, which as the name implies, involves torching piles of brush to clear space around fire stations, communications towers and other facilities.
No road closures have been announced in connection with the burns.