The livestream discussed current fire behavior and management tactics on major fires in California. The Garnet fire is spreading rapidly, with a 1,000-acre spot fire across the North Fork of the Kings River. The L-2 fire near Deer Creek Falls, in Tehama County is under control, thanks to a lot of heavy helicopter drops. The Peak Fire is slow-growing, with structures at risk in the bigger-picture, though not at the moment. The Dillon Fire is near residential areas, in ultra-rural Siskiyou County, south of Happy Camp. The Little Fire is burning in the seven-year-old Carr Fire burn scar, highlighting the challenges of land management in of forestlands in mixed public/private land ownership.
Deer Creek Trip and Fire Observations
- Zeke Lunder shares his experience of going up to Deer Creek to look at the L-2 Fire with Michael Steinberg, noting the trip was their first time ‘fire-geeking’ together.
- The trip included watching type one helicopters put out the L2 fire, which was burning in tough ground.
- Fire watching is better if you have a few key tools: Radios or a scanner, the fire’s frequencies (especially air to ground and air tactics), a good view of the fire, a chair, shade, and binoculars.
Challenges of Implementing Large-Scale Prescribed Burns
- The Garnet Fire is currently burning toward Teakettle Experimetal Forest, above the North Fork Kings River, east of Fresno.
- The Climate Wildfire Initiative is leading planning for a 3,000 acre burn project in the Teakettle area, but much of the environmental documentation and planning is still in progress.
- Zeke Lunder explains the challenges of firefighting (and prescribed burning) in the area due to abundant old snags (dead trees) and limited access.
- The upper elevation areas of Teakettle are forested with red fir, which has traditionally had a long fire return interval, burning at high severity once every century or more, usually during major droughts.
- Zeke Lunder questions why we would want to apply low-severity prescribed fire in areas which historically may have had low-frequency, high-severity fire regimes.
Impact of Fire on Forest Restoration and Management
- Zeke Lunder explains the importance of focusing forest management on areas and prescribed fire on areas which have not burned, yet.
- We discuss the ease of doing full fire suppression compared to prescribed fire due to the lack of NEPA and budget constraints when wildfires are burning.
- The discussion includes the challenges of managing fire in areas with a mix of private and public land.
L2 Fire and Deer Creek Falls
- Zeke Lunder describes the L-2 fire, which is burning in steep ground near Deer Creek Falls, and the efforts to control it with helicopter drops.
- The fire started high on the slope and is burning in an area that burned in 2008. There are a lot of snags left over from the past fire.
- Zeke Lunder discusses the ecological benefits of a slope burning from the top down (backing fire) and alternately, that burning from the bottom up usually kills more of the trees.
Little Fire and Checkerboard Management
- Zeke Lunder talks about the Little Fire, which is burning in the seven-year-old Carr Fire burn area with a mix of private and public land.
- The fire is burning on both private and public land, with stark contrasts in post-fire management practices.
- Zeke Lunder discusses the challenges of managing fire in areas with a mix of private and public land and the long-term impact of different management practices.
Peak Fire and Structures at Risk
- Zeke Lunder discusses the Peak Fire, which has been slow to grow.
- The fire has been controlled with aircraft and bucket drops, but spot fires on the western and southwest flanks are challenging.
- Zeke Lunder explains that indirect attack is sometimes used when frequent spot fires make direct attack untenable.
Dillon Fire and Community Impact
- Zeke Lunder talks about the Dillon Fire, which is burning towards his friend’s house and has been a source of stress for the community.
- The fire is active on the south end and has been slow to move, but the community remains on edge.
Grape Crop Damage and Picket Fire
- Zeke Lunder discusses the grape crop damage estimated at $65 million and the impact of the Picket Fire on the area.
- The Picket Fire started in a vineyard and smoke has caused significant damage to the region’s 2025 grape crop.