Weather and air quality conditions permitting, fire crews on the Mono Lake Ranger District will be pile burning near the community of June Lake starting today. Crews plan to continue pile burning as conditions permit over the next week-10 days.
Smoke will be visible from June Lake, Mammoth Mountain, June Mountain, Lee Vining, and along the Hwy 395 corridor.
Crews create piles to remove ladder fuels, which are the branches and limbs that can carry fire from the ground to the canopy. This reduces wildfire risk for nearby communities. Piles are typically burned in the winter months when it is safest to do so. Did you know that prescribed fire and pile burning is closely coordinated with the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District to monitor smoke levels and we work with them to pick the best days for smoke dispersal? Just like small fires prevent big fires, so do small smoke events prevent bigger smoke events.