Spring and summer prescribed burns planned for Inyo National Forest

Public Affairs Officer: Lisa Cox
lisa.cox@usda.gov
(760) 873-2427 
www.fs.usda.gov/inyo
Facebook @InyoNF

BISHOP, Calif., April 26, 2025 —Inyo National Forest fire personnel along with supporting resources will be shifting from winter pile burning to broadcast burning operations across the forest. These planned ignitions will improve forest health and reduce hazardous fuel loading across the Forest and will only be conducted when the required weather conditions and staffing exist, the first of which could be as soon as next week.

Projects listed below are in order of likely implementation, focusing on reducing fuels in highest risk areas within the wildland-urban interface and transportation corridors to protect life and property.           
 

Mount Whitney Ranger District

West of Lone Pine at the end of Granite View Drive, firefighters will be burning up to 60 acres of Diaz Pasture. The goal is to start ignitions by May 1, but if the weather conditions aren’t ideal, this burn could be delayed to the following week. There will be approximately three days of ignitions, and will include extensive mop-up once the project objectives of creating defensible space and restoration of pasture are met.

Smoke may impact Lone Pine, Diaz Lake Recreation area, Alabama Hills Estates, Tuttle creek Campground and Alabama Hills National Scenic Area.

This project is Unit 9 of the “Granite View RX Burn,” from the 2019 Alabama Hills Defensible Space Fuels Reduction Project (see map below).

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White Mountain Ranger District

On the northwestern edge of the Sunny Slopes community and Pine Glade, and to the north of the Owens River Gorge, up to 2,693 acres of the “Casa Diablo/Crowley Understory RX” will be burned when the right weather window opportunity arrives this spring. 

This burn project is an understory maintenance project, which means the units have burned in different areas and different times over the last 20 years, and now firefighters are continuing to maintain this defensible space and improve the health of this Jeffrey pine forest.

This project falls under both the 2011 Casa Diablo Maintenance Prescribed Burning Project and the 2010 Crowley Communities Fuels Reduction Project.  

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Mono Lake and Mammoth Ranger Districts

Along the Highway 395 corridor, between Mammoth Lakes and June Lake, up to 2,193 acres of Jeffrey pine forest will be treated to help reduce potential for wildfires from vehicle ignitions. Priority areas for treatment are located at the immediate buffer zone along Highway 395, so smoke and flame will be extremely visible from the highway and communities in between. A full lane closure of Highway 395 will be in effect, but the highway will remain open unless smoke hampers visibility. Inyo National Forest is coordinating highway safety measure in partnership with Cal Trans District 9 personnel to ensure operations do not present safety risks to motorists.

This project falls under both the 2007 Jeffrey Pine Forest Health & Fuel Reduction Project Environmental Assessment and the 2018 Three Creeks Jeffrey Pine Forest Health and Restoration Project Environmental Assessment.

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“Fire management personnel have been diligently working to reduce fuels, restore ecosystem health and resilience by reestablishing fire’s natural role in the ecosystem,” said Jennifer Martin, Fuels Planner for the Inyo National Forest. “We recognize the impacts this has on the public and we appreciate their patience and understanding while we manage this dynamic project and our efforts to improve their public lands for the greater good.”

Updates will be released as they become available via:

Smoke and flame may be visible from many miles away, including from Highway 395 and the nearby communities. Smoke impacts are minimized as much as possible in coordination with the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District and National Weather Service meteorologists to ensure desired weather patterns and smoke dispersal are in place in order to minimize impacts to communities, highways, and adjacent residences. 

Smoke will drift and settle into the valley areas, especially at night. This includes low-lying areas such as Highway 395 and the Owens River corridor. If necessary, smoke-sensitive individuals may need to take precautions to minimize smoke impacts. Visit www.fire.airnow.gov to check particulate levels before you visit the Owens Valley area in general.

For more specific air quality information visit: 
www.gbuapcd.org/AirMonitoringData/Smoke/#6.85/37.413/-117.864

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