March 28, 2024
Forest near Big Bear approved for fiery protection
BIG BEAR - In a project that took 12 years to develop, the Forest Service has announced a final decision about the protection of 13,000 acres between the Big Bear Dam and Baldwin Lake.

A high-intensity wildfire is likely in this area if left untreated and would potentially destroy the little remaining habitat.

The Forest Service warned that if left as is, “a high intensity wildfire would potentially destroy the remaining habitat of the Bald Eagles,” and threaten Fawnskin, the Peter Pan district of Big Bear City and the greater Big Bear Valley.

The North Big Bear Landscape Restoration project calls for the “return of beneficial fire to the landscape, improve watershed conditions and remove unauthorized roads and trails.”

Over the past 100 years or more, the Forest Service said “fire has been excluded from the landscape”. It is a natural ecosystem process “and its absence has led to unnaturally high tree density.”

With the final decision, the Forest Service said it will “begin implementing this very important project.”
Story Date: May 24, 2023
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