controlled burns

FEDERAL SHUTDOWN HALTS CONTROLLED BURNS IN CLEVELAND NATIONAL FOREST

By Miriam Raftery

File photo: Dead trees smoulder during controlled burn in San Diego’s East County

January 10, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – Putting all San Diego County residents at higher risk of a major wildfire, winter controlled burning of two to three thousand acres in Cleveland National Forest have been put on hold due to the federal shutdown, fire officials have advised ECM news partner 10 News.


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READERS VOICE RAGE OVER CONTROLLED BURN IN CUYAMACA RANCHO STATE PARK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Miriam Raftery

February 26, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – Readers across East County have sent photos and video of a large controlled burn yesterday in Rancho Cuyamaca State Park, voicing outrage over the burning of habitat including mature trees, given than 99% of the pine trees in the park burned during the 2003 Cedar Fire.

Questions have also been raised over why the burn was allowed in windy conditions, why a helicopters was dispatched to use water from Lake Cuyamaca on a controlled burn, and why more notice was not provided to the public and the press that a major controlled burn was underway by State Parks in conjunction with Cal Fire.


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1800 ACRES OF WILDERNESS SCORCHED IN SAN FELIPE FIRE AMID GROWING QUESTIONS OVER OUT-OF-CONTROL BURN

 

 

Dozers ordered to Volcan Mountain

By Miriam Raftery

“Something will have gone out of us as people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed.” – Wallace Stegner

 

 

May 24, 2013 (Julian) Updated May 29, 2013 – The quote above is inscribed on the Volcan Mountain Foundation webpage, a site devoted to protecting the wilderness preserve. But today, as a raging wildfire that started as a controlled burn encroached, bulldozers were ordered to cut a firebreak on the crest of Volcan Mountain, ECM has learned.

Meanwhile an ECM investigation has raised growing questions over whether this fire could have been prevented.  Those questions include:

  • Why did Cal-Fire order a controlled burn in hot weather just hours after a high wind advisory had expired?
  • Why did the National Weather Service issue a spot fire weather report to Cal-Fire advising lower wind speeds when it has no wind monitor in the valley where the fire occurred?
  • Why was Volcan Mountain Foundatiion advised conditions were too dangerous for it to conduct pile burning, yet Cal-Fire conducted its own controlled burn?
  • Why did fire officials underestimate the potential size of this fire at 500 acres? (It has burned over 1,800 acres and is 60% contained.)
  • Should Cal-Fire’s plan to sharply increase the number of acres it clears statewide be axed given the consequences of this out-of-control burn?

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FOREST SERVICE BURNING CLEARED BRUSH IN SAN VICENTE AND PALOMAR AREAS TODAY

February 19, 2013 (San Diego's East County) --Cleveland National Forest is conducting burning operations today in the San Vicente area in East County and on Palomar Mountain near Observatory Campground.  This is a continuation of burning operations that began yesterday, but are not expected to continue into tomorrow due to the weather system that may bring rain and that is moving into southern California.

The Forest Service is burning fuels that have been piled as a result of hand and mechanical fuel treatments in the area.


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CONTROLLED BURN TODAY AT CUYAMACA

 

January 19, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – If you’re seeing smoke over our local mountains, don’t panic.  Cal-Fire confirms that it is assisting the Rancho Cuyamaca State Park with a controlled burn today.

IPN indicates the burn is at the Middle Peaks area of the Park.


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PALOMAR RANGER DISTRICT BEGINS PRESCRIBED FIRE ACTIVITY

 

October 22, 2010 (Ramona)--The Palomar Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest is conducting prescribed burning from October 19th 2010 to May, 2011 if weather and fuel moisture conditions permit. This vegetation treatment is for community defense, fuel break maintenance and forest health, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The prescribed burning will take place on Forest Service Land that adjoins the San Diego Country Estates.


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EAST OF THE LINE: FIRING BACK AT BORDER FIRE, ROOTING OUT WILD PIGS, & A GARDEN PARTY IN POTRERO


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FOREST SERVICE BEGINS PRESCRIBED FIRE ACTIVITY IN CLEVELAND NATIONAL FOREST

 

January 7, 2010 (San Diego's East County)-- The Descanso Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest will be conducting 300-500 acres of prescribed burning in the south eastern part of San Diego County. The projects are located near the communities of Alpine, Pine Valley, and Mt Laguna. Prescribed burning will be conducted from January to June 2010, as weather and fuel conditions permit. The purpose of these burns is to assist in providing community protection by slowing the spread of wildfires under normal summer conditions.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.