Briceland Volunteer Fire Department

On December 12-14th, 2025, the Mail Ridge Wildfire Resilience Project moved into the prescribed fire phase of its restoration efforts.

Members of Briceland Fire, Telegraph Ridge Volunteer Fire, Palo Verde Volunteer Fire, Petrolia Fire, the Humboldt County Prescribed Burn Association and cultural fire practitioners from Hybrid Indigenous Stewardship came together to help bring what the Wailaki people call N’Shong Konk (“Good Fire”) back to the southern Humboldt landscape.

Following several weeks of site preparation work by the Briceland Fuels Crew, Native Health in Native Hands and Hybrid Indigenous Stewardship, weather conditions aligned to conduct effective burning. Approximately 90 acres of oak under story and roadside piles were treated just ahead of wetting rain.

This work will help improve overall forest health by removing ladder fuels and limiting fir encroachment in the oak woodlands providing a measure of protection from higher intensity fires in dry season conditions. It also will establish a strategic shaded fuel break to support future prescribed burns within the larger 269-acre project area.

The Mail Ridge Wildfire Resilience Project, Phase 1 is the first fuels reduction and prescribed fire implementation effort of a larger, landscape-scale project along the entire 54-mile long crest of Mail Ridge in southern Humboldt and northern Mendocino counties. Past management practices and the exclusion of low-intensity fire has increased the region’s vulnerability to catastrophic wildfire, jeopardizing the ability of forests to sequester carbon and perform critical ecological functions into the future.

Ft. Seward, CA – December 12-13-14, 2025 – Briceland Fire, in cooperation with Ft. Seward Ranch, will conduct a winter prescribed burn on the Huestis Rock Unit along Dyerville Loop Road at Ft. Seward Road. The project will treat approximately 90 acres of oak woodland to improve fire resiliency and support long-term habitat restoration. Operations may extend up to three days, depending on weather and site conditions.

Location: Dyerville Loop Rd @ Ft Seward Rd
Target Acreage: 34 acres
Target Dates: December 12-13-14, 2025
Ignition Time: Approximately 10:00 AM
Lead Agency: Briceland Fire

Smoke may be visible from Highway 101, Miranda, Phillipsville, Weott, and Salmon Creek. Minor traffic impacts on Dyerville Loop Road are possible. While significant smoke impacts are unlikely, some evening drift toward Highway 254 may occur.

The Mail Ridge Wildfire Resilience Project marks the first implementation phase of a larger, landscape-scale effort spanning the 54-mile-long crest of Mail Ridge in Southern Humboldt and northern Mendocino counties. Decades of fire exclusion and past management practices have increased the region’s vulnerability to catastrophic wildfire—threatening forest health, carbon storage, and ecosystem balance. This project is part of a broader effort to restore oak woodland health, reduce hazardous fuels, and improve wildfire resilience across the region.

This project is being led by the Humboldt County Resource Conservation District in collaboration with multiple organizations including Briceland Fire, the Humboldt County Fire Safe Council, Trees Foundation, and cultural partners from Native Health in Native Hands and Hybrid Indigenous Stewardship.

More information about the project can be found at:

https://humboldtrcd.org/projects/wildfire-resiliency-planning-for-mail-ridge/

https://www.northcoastresourcepartnershipprojects.org/Project/Detail/17696

On Wednesday, October 29, the Briceland Fuels Crew joined Cultural Fire practitioners from Native Health in Native Hands and Hybrid Indigenous Stewardship to burn dozens of piles at the Southern Humboldt Community Park. They were supported by members of the Humboldt County Prescribed Burn Association and the Humboldt County Resource Conservation District.

It was ideal weather to burn this cured and dried material under the beautiful stands of oak and pepperwood trees. After burning down, the ash from the piles was gently hand tilled into the moist soil interspersed with small chunks of carbon to provide essential nutrients and material to the soil.

This work is part of an ongoing effort to restore N’shong Konk’—Good Fire—to the region, reviving traditional fire practices that help rebalance local ecosystems. The project reflects a broad collaboration among Wailaki community members, Cultural Fire practitioners, landowners like those at the Community Park, volunteer fire departments, fire professionals, and county and state partners. Funding for this ecological restoration and workforce development project was granted through the Humboldt Co. Resource Conservation District.