BLM to Start Pile Burning Near Pine Hill Preserve to Improve Public Safety
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EL DORADO HILLS, Calif – In the coming weeks, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will start burning small brush piles to get rid of fire fuel to improve public safety, and as a result, residents of the Cameron Park area near the BLM Pine Hill Preserve may start seeing and smelling smoke. The prescribed burning will start in May and will continue as weather conditions allow.
“The brush piles are left over from when crews created fuel breaks both inside and outside of the preserve,” said Jerry Martinez, BLM Fire Management Officer. “Eliminating the extra fuel now will make the fire breaks more effective at protecting both public and private property in the future.”
As Wildfire Awareness Week (May 7 to 13) approaches, the BLM would like to remind all Californians to take action to protect their homes and neighborhoods from wildfire by reducing hazardous fuels. Wildfire behavior is based largely on weather and fuel conditions. Homeowners and renters are encouraged to reduce flammable materials near their homes and in communities now, before fire season starts, to help keep everyone safe, including the firefighters.
For more information about creating defensible space or other means of wildfire prevention, please visit CAL FIRE’s website at http://readyforwildfire.org/Fire-Safe-Landscaping/.
The Pine Hill Preserve is home to rare native plants that live in a specific type of soil known as gabbro soils in El Dorado County. The preserve encompasses more than 4,000 acres centered on Green Valley Road and stretches from Folsom Lake in the north to Highway 50 in the south.
For more information, call the Fire Fuels Management Hotline at (916) 941-3155.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.