Building a Relationship with Fire in Ten Mile Creek

This weekend, a collaborative prescribed burn will transform 13 acres of mature tan oak forest in the lower 10 Mile Creek watershed, northwest of Laytonville. The project, part of a larger forest health initiative, brings together local landowners, the Cotto tribe, and the Eel River Recovery Project to reintroduce fire as a natural ecosystem management tool.

Alicia Little Tree Bales, community organizer with the Eel River Recovery Project, explains the burn’s multiple objectives. “We’re looking to reduce fire hazards, improve forest health, and create beneficial conditions for wildlife,” she said. The understory burn will help convert forest debris into nutrients, reduce invasive plant species, and potentially improve acorn production by minimizing oak tree pests.

Funded by CAL FIRE’s forest health program, the 900-acre project represents a grassroots approach to landscape management. Local businesses like Elk Ridge Tree Service have been integral to preparing the burn area, demonstrating how environmental restoration can also support economic development.

The burn, scheduled for Saturday, is part of a three-year collaborative effort challenging traditional fire suppression strategies. Bales emphasizes that reintroducing fire is about rekindling a “holistic and healing” relationship with the landscape.

Residents near Highway 101 may notice smoke from the controlled burn.

Those interested in learning more about prescribed burning can contact the Eel River Recovery Project at 707-223-7200.