Pile Burning Scheduled This Week

WHAT: Prescribed pile burning of 1-10 treated acres of slash from felled dead trees and brush. 

WHEN: Starting February 22. Additional series of burns will occur through April. Burning  operations will begin at 7:30 a.m. and conclude at 5 p.m. on a permissive burn day. 

WHERE: Burning will occur near Figueroa Mountain and various other forest locations (updated  on Los Padres Twitter and Facebook accounts). 

WHY: The goal of the series of one-day pile burning is to reduce the risk of wildfire. Prescribed,  or planned, fires typically burn less intensely than wildfires. Prescribed burns can help prevent  the spread of wildfires and can reduce impacts to watersheds that can result in soil loss and  sedimentation. The burn will be conducted when the meteorological conditions are highly  favorable to direct smoke away from population centers.  

WHO: This prescribed burn is planned and coordinated by the Los Padres National Forest with  Santa Barbara County APCD, San Luis Obispo County APCD, San Joaquin Valley APCD, Ventura  County APCD, and the California Air Resources Board in order to minimize impacts on air quality  on surrounding communities.  

This burn depends on weather and air quality conditions that are favorable for smoke dispersal. If the  conditions are not as desired, the burn will be rescheduled. To view a statewide prescribed burn map and other features, visit the Prescribed Fire Information  Reporting System (PFIRS) website: https://ssl.arb.ca.gov/pfirs/firm/firm.php