The Nevada County Board of Supervisors have approved a letter of support for a wildfire suppression bill. The House resolution is co-authored by Congressmen Doug LaMalfa and Tom McClintock. It applies to National Forest lands. It would require, among other things, that the Forest Service to extinguish any blaze no later than 24 hours after it’s detected. That also includes any prescribed fire that exceeds the authorized acreage. Supervisor Dan Miller, who initiated the support, says prescribed burns are becoming increasingly impractical due to insufficient thinning…

click to listen to Dan Miller

Supervisor Heidi Hall was the only “no” vote. She says the measure is too broad and too vague, among other concerns. She also referred to a letter indicating opposition by a number of forest scientists and fire agencies…

click to listen to Heidi Hall

There have been a number of wildfires in the last couple of years that critics say would never have as destructive if they had been attacked right away. The most notorious recent example cited at the Board meeting was last year’s Tamarack Fire near Markleeville. It started as a single tree and was monitored by not suppressed for 13 days before it suddenly grew to over 68-thousand acres.