USFS bans Fire Use fires in California

The Regional Forester for the U.S. Forest Service in California has banned any additional fire use fires in national forests in the state for the rest of the fire season. Fire use fires are not aggressively suppressed, but are monitored and herded around as long as they remain within the "maximum management area" (MMA) as determined by the incident management team.

The Clover fire on the Sequoia National Forest in central California was initially a fire use fire, but in late June it exceeded the MMA and burned east out of the forest onto private land, burning over 13,000 acres.

Currently there are two fire use fires listed on the national situation report: the Gunbarrel fire east of Yellowstone National Park, 35,500 acres, and the Hawks Overlook fire in Arkansas, 105 acres. Recent lightning in the Boise National Forest in Idaho started 11 new fires, and three of them are being considered for fire use designation.

The Sacramento Bee has an article on the ban, HERE.

Thanks, Dick, for the tip.