Refuges prepare for fall burn season
Pioneer Press
October 11, 2006
Page A-18
TULELAKE - Refuge fire managers are preparing
to ignite as many as 8,000 acres of marsh, uplands, grasslands and
timbered areas in Lower Klamath, Tulelake and Bear Valley National
Wildlife Refuges. Burning will commence in early October and
continue through December as weather and necessary conditions
permit. Nearby residents and refuge visitors should expect some
smoke in the vicinity of any prescribed fire activity.
As a local leader in acres treated with prescribed
fire, Klamath Basin NWRC Fire Management is adept at balancing smoke
management issues and local weather patterns with the desires of
refuge lessees and wildlife managers while heeding concerns of
surrounding communities. Prescribed fire continues to play a major
role in the management and restoration of wildlife refuges today as
it has for decades.
Since the early 1930s, Klamath
Basin NWRC has safely and effectively utilized fire as a major
management and wildlife habitat enhancement tool. The refuge treats
an average 18,700 acres per year over the past seven years, with a
high point of 34,697 acres in 2005. More than 27,000 acres of refuge
lands have been treated with prescribed fire during 2006.
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