Homewood, CA….U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will begin prescribed fire operations in Slaughterhouse Canyon, north of Spooner Summit tomorrow, Wednesday, October 30, 2013. The total unit size is 30 acres. Fuels management crews may burn as much of the unit as possible, weather and conditions permitting. “Because of the recent snowfall, conditions allow our crews to carry out operations on larger units,” said Kit Bailey, Fire Management Officer with the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. Operations are likely to continue through the end of the week.

Because of the project size, a significant amount of smoke may be seen rising from the project area. Smoke will be visible on State Route 28 and may be visible on U.S. Highway 50. The Forest Service strives to minimize the impacts of smoke on local communities. Smoke-sensitive residents should consider staying indoors and keeping doors, windows and outside vents closed. For more information on prescribed fire and smoke management tips, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbmu/RxFireOps.

Forest Service staff will post road signs around the areas affected by the prescribed fire, send email notifications, and update the local fire information line at 530-543-2600, #6. To receive prescribed fire notifications, send an email to pa_ltbmu@fs.fed.us.

To learn more about the efforts to reduce wildfire risks in the Tahoe Basin read the Lake Tahoe Basin Multi-jurisdictional Fuel Reduction Plan found at http://fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsm9_045864.pdf.

Visit an excellent web site and learn about Prescribed Fire vs. Wildfire at: http://www.smokeybear.com/prescribed-fires.asp.