Another scheduled prescribed burn Tuesday is expected to produce enough smoke to make it quite visible to a number of surrounding communities in Yuba as well as Nevada Counties. Mary Eldridge, with Cal Fire’s Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit, says the focus is on 130 acres in Browns Valley, near the University of California Foothill Research and Extension Field Station, on Scott Forbes Road. It’s scheduled to begin at 9 in the morning and last until around 6 in the evening. She says that area’s targeted each year…

click to listen to Mary Eldridge

Eldridge says the burn also gets rid of a lot of noxious weeds and underbrush, converting it to native vegetation. But she says whether it actually happens is not actually decided until the last minute, because of changeable weather conditions…

click to listen to Mary Eldridge

Eldridge says some wind is needed to help disperse the smoke so it doesn’t become a nuisance for residents. She says the prescribed burn also offers training to area firefighters.