Bear Mountain Prescribed Underburn

Groveland, CA — Groveland Ranger District has plans to begin a low-intensity underburn of 212 acres located 22 miles east of Groveland.

Planned ignition of approximately 60 acres daily could begin next Wednesday, May 16th. The size of burn may vary with weather and fuel moisture conditions, as well as permissible air quality burn days. The controlled burning is expected to continue over the next 4 to 6 days according to Stanislaus Forest Public Affairs Officer, Jerry Snyder.

The prescribed burn is called Bear Mountain Underburn.
The area to be burned is along Forest Road 1S03, in the vicinity of Ackerson and Bear Mountain, range 19E, township 1S.

Snyder notes that smoke may be visible from Highway 120 and Evergreen Road, with some down canyon drift smoke visible in the evening and early morning mainly in the South Fork of the Tuolumne River drainage.

The list of the burn project objectives are to; reduce the buildup of flammable forest fuels, both ground fuels and ladder fuels, reduce the threat of uncontrolled, large and damaging fires as well as:

• Improve protection of life and property in the communities of Evergreen, Camp Mather, Peach Growers tract, and Private adjacent land;


• Enhance and protect wildlife habitat and improve deer browse;


• Protect the Tuolumne River watershed, campgrounds and forest and private infrastructure;


• Promote health and resiliency in mixed conifer forest and reduce susceptibility to future insect and disease occurrences and drought.

The public benefits of prescribed burning were noted by Snyder as being an effective cost efficient method of reducing flammable forest fuels, improving firefighting capabilities, and reducing the impacts of large uncontrolled damaging wildland fires.

Snyder further states, “Controlled, or prescribed, low-intensity fires enhance wildlife habitat, protect and maintain water quality and soil productivity, improve forest ecosystem health, and reduce the threat of uncontrolled conflagrations. The Sierra Nevada is a fire dependent ecosystem, where fire is part of the natural forest process.”