Pinecroft Burn Delayed For More Public Input

Thu., Oct. 22, 1998

By Pat Sciuchetti pats@spokesman.com

A small controlled burn proposed within a Valley nature preserve has been put on hold, possibly until next fall.

Officials with the state Department of Natural Resources want to gather more public input and consider other options before making a final decision on the burn, said DNR forester Guy Gifford.

If approved, the Pinecroft Natural Area Preserve burn probably will not take place until next year, Gifford said.

More than 400 residents with property abutting the 104-acre preserve received notice earlier this month of the proposed burn of 5 to 10 acres. Pinecroft is located near the old Walk in the Wild Zoo site.

DNR burned 15 acres in the same preserve three years ago. Controlled burns reduce the chance of future wildfires, stimulate the growth of natural bunchgrass and help the area maintain its original plant ecosystem, DNR officials said.

Periodic burns keep the lands from becoming overgrown and serve the same purpose natural wildfires did before the advent of fire suppression.

Just two opponents of the burn showed up at last week’s informational meeting. Even so, the agency decided to delay its decision. Because burning has become a sensitive topic, it wants to allow more public input and to allow officials to look at possible alternative options, such as the labor-intensive raking of pine needles from the forest floor.

If approved, the burn would take two to three hours to complete. It would be held on a day when weather conditions allow the smoke to be directed to the north or northeast, away from the site.

A burn could be held in the winter or spring, Gifford said, but autumn offers the highest likelihood of favorable conditions at this site.

Pinecroft is one of 47 preserves statewide. The lands, managed by DNR, were set aside to protect unique or historically typical habitats in Washington.

CARE TO COMMENT? Comments on the proposed Pinecroft burn can be sent to: Guy Gifford, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 190, Colville, WA 99114.

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