IDYLLWILD (CNS) - The onset of winter weather will permit prescribed burning operations to get underway in the San Bernardino National Forest, including areas north of Idyllwild and south of Lake Hemet, where hundreds of acres of overgrowth will be eliminated, the U.S. Forest Service announced Thursday.
According to the agency, this week's storm and another one predicted for next week signal the start of the rainy season in Southern California, making controlled burns possible.
"Prescribed burning is an active forest-management activity that helps restore ecological functions to the forest,'' USFS spokesman Zach Behrens said. "Fire has a natural role in coniferous regions of San Bernardino National Forest. Caused naturally by lightning, fire has long maintained the health of forests, cle
