Fuel break on BLM-managed land slows wildfire, saves homes in Amador County, California

A recent collaborative effort between the BLM California Mother Lode Field Office and its partners helped slow the Tiger Fire, ensuring public safety and saving homes in Amador County, California.  

The Tiger Fire started on Aug. 8 on BLM-managed land above the Tiger Creek Reservoir near the community of Pioneer. CAL FIRE Amador-El Dorado Unit and the Amador Fire Protection District successfully contained the fast-moving blaze within days at the ridgeline, where it intersected with the Tiger Creek Fuel Break. The fuel break proved essential to help firefighters establish control lines and slow the wildfire’s spread.

“The shaded fuel break on BLM land was instrumental in stopping the Tiger Fire,” said Megan Scheeline, Unit Forester for CAL FIRE’s Amador-El Dorado Unit. “The fire started downslope of the fuel break and quickly burned uphill with high intensity through dense brush. The fuel break is strategically located for firefighters to make a stand between homes and fires that approach from the river canyon, and it worked. When the Tiger Fire reached the area of reduced brush and ladder fuels, fire intensity lessened and flames remained at ground level instead of spreading up into the tree canopy. This moderate fire behavior allowed ground crews and aircraft to effectively stop the fire.” 

The Tiger Creek Fuel Break is a 300-acre shaded fuel break completed in 2023 by the Amador Fire Safe Council (AFSC) with funding from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. AFSC managed the implementation of the project with guidance from BLM staff, who conducted environmental surveys, provided technical support, and completed compliance documents. Other project partners included PG&E, the U.S. Forest Service, Sierra Pacific Industries, CAL FIRE, and more. 
 

"This fuels reduction project exemplifies the critical role of collaboration in mitigating the wildfire threat to our neighboring communities,” said Jeff Horn, Field Manager for the Mother Lode Field Office. “It stands as a testament to the hard work and dedication of our partners.”
 

Pat Minyard, Board President of the Amador Fire Safe Council, echoed this sentiment. “Few things are more rewarding than seeing a project you’ve worked on with trusted partners do exactly what it was meant to do—protect our communities. The Tiger Creek Fuel Break is a testament to what collaboration and foresight can achieve."

This project links to other completed and planned efforts, creating critical fuels reduction from Tiger Creek Reservoir to Highway 88 and connecting to projects on the Calaveras side of the North Fork of the Mokelumne River.
 

The Mother Lode Field Office manages approximately 34,000 acres of land in Calaveras County, California and a total of 230,000 acres across ten counties in the Sierra Foothills. With such a large management area, the BLM relies on collaboration with its partners to achieve success in fuels reduction projects.