Private Story
Cohasset Prescribed Burn, November 2023
Summary
Cal Fire led multiple fire service agencies, including a substantial hand crew from the California Conservation Corp in a 330 acre prescribed burn near Cohasset, California. Part of an ongoing attempt to create and maintain firebreaks in the Sierra Foothills in Butte County mounted in earnest after the Devastating Camp Fire.
Cal Fire juggles an incredible number of constituencies to satisfy in undertaking controlled burns this large—in addition to the entire endeavor being contingent on weather, wind, moisture level of fuels, and availability of personnel and equipment. At this point in California forestry management history observing a prescribed burn like this one is a lesson in organizational and risk management like few others. Helicopters, bulldozers, fire equipment, hand crews, and remote sensors and cameras are all part of a precise dance choreographed to eliminate the danger that a burn might spot and escape control. Over the course of a day the landscape becomes substantially changed, revealing the beauty of fire—even if controlled—functioning as ordinary in an ecosystem.
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