Burn Will Produce Pinecrest Area Smoke Visible From Highway 108
Sonora, CA — On Thursday smoke in the Pinecrest area easily seen from Highway 108 may well be related to a prescribed burn say Stanislaus National Forest officials.
Called the Dry Meadow Underburn, the planned burn within the Summit Ranger District targets 12 acres located about six miles northeast of Pinecrest along Forest Road 5N02 in the vicinity of the Dry Meadow Fire Station, according to Acting Deputy Forest Supervisor Jim Junette.
The goal of the burn, as Junette describes, is to enhance public and firefighter safety by reducing the build-up of dead and down fuels as well as reducing the threat of high-intensity wildfire — while protecting watershed values and wildlife habitat by creating a mosaic pattern of vegetation.
He adds that fire managers will be closely working with local air districts and the state air resources board to mitigate its effects on the public. In addition to thanking residents for their cooperation and caution in the area, he directs folks not to report the burn to fire officials as a wildland fire.
