Single Publication

As part of Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest’s hazardous fuels reduction efforts, the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area’s (SMNRA) fire crews will begin pile burning beginning in January through April, weather and fuel conditions permitting.

Prescribed fire is a proactive tool used to achieve a number of purposes, including the reduction of hazardous fuels (overgrown vegetation). The three general types of prescribed fire are pile burning, understory/underburning, and broadcast burning. They all help decrease the threat of high intensity, high-severity wildfires; reduce the risk of insect and disease outbreak; recycle nutrients that increase soil productivity; and improve wildlife habitat. Another benefit resulting from prescribed fire is a reduction in wildfire danger to local communities.

The actual days of ignition for pile burning will depend on several factors including appropriate humidity levels, wind speed and direction, temperature, and fuel moisture. Burns only occur on days when weather conditions exist for smoke dispersal. The public can get prescribed burn updates by visiting the Forest’s Facebook (https://facebook.com/HumboldtToiyabeNF/) or Twitter (https://twitter.com/HumboldtToiyabe) pages.

“Air quality considerations are an important part of prescribed fire, and each fire prescription is planned to disperse smoke rapidly and reduce lingering haze,” said Fuels Specialist Joshua Thalacker. “Before each prescribed fire is ignited, fire managers will get approval from the local air quality district in which the burn is to take place.”

Fire crews divide large landscape burns into blocks of land over multiple days. This allows them to halt burning activity within those areas if anything is out of the pre-established prescription conditions, such as too much wind. Crews can start again when conditions are more acceptable. Fire managers create a burn plan, which includes smoke management details, fire control measures, acceptable weather parameters, and equipment and personnel needs. The burn plan also describes in detail how the ecosystem will benefit from fire.

Please do not call 911 about burning in the areas referred below. Local fire departments are aware of these burning activities. For information on pile burning activities on the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, please contact SMNRA Fire Management Officer Ray Dombroski at raymond.dombroski@usda.gov or 702-515-5422.

An ArcGIS StoryMap that explains how prescribed fire is good for National Forest System land can be viewed at https://bit.ly/PrescribedFireStoryMap

Possible burn locations include:

• The Kyle Canyon Old Helispot/Administrative Site
  • Roughly two acres of pile burning is planned near Mile Marker Five off of Nevada State Route 157 (Kyle Canyon Road), across the road from the Forest Service Fire Station.

• The Lee Canyon Borrow Pit
  Roughly two acres of pile burning is planned along the north side of the road near Mile Marker Seven on Nevada State Route 156 (Lee Canyon Road).

• Potosi Pass
  Roughly four hundred acres of pile burning is planned in the Mt. Potosi area near mile marker 20 on Nevada State Route 160, one mile south of Mountain Springs, Nevada.

• Camp Stimson
  Roughly twenty acres of pile burning is planned near Mile Marker Six on Nevada State Route 158 (Deer Creek Highway), one half mile northwest of Deer Creek Picnic Area.