MENDOCINO CO., 4/23/25 – Laytonville residents and travelers along U.S. Highway 101 may notice smoke northwest of town during a prescribed burn this weekend, the Eel River Recovery Project said.
The fire is expected to take place Saturday and Sunday on lower Ten Mile Creek, near Highway 101 and approximately seven miles northwest of Laytonville.
According to the project, a nonprofit that manages and implements ecological projects in the Eel River watershed, the burn will treat approximately 15 acres of forest understory to support forest health and mitigate wildfire risk.
This fire is a collaboration between the project, landowners and Cal Fire, said the project. Scot Steinbring of Torchbearr, the Yreka-based company that teaches how to implement and manage prescribed burns, will lead the effort.
The burn is part of the state’s efforts to reduce fuels as part of the California Fire Plan and California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan. It is funded by Cal Fire’s Forest Health Program.
The project seeks volunteers to participate in prescribed burns. Contact Alicia Bales, community outreach coordinator of the Eel River Recovery Project, at (916) 595-8724 for information about volunteering.   Â
The Ten Mile Creek burn is weather-dependent, and timelines and implementation are subject to change.