CalFire plans prescribed burn near Ettersburg to remove invasive barb goatgrass

Smoke near Ettersburg on June 30 is coming from a planned prescribed burn, not an emergency. CalFire was preparing to burn invasive barb goatgrass on 15 acres of ranch land in Southern Humboldt, with ignition scheduled to begin only if conditions allow.

The burn is part of a controlled land-management effort aimed at removing invasive vegetation and reducing the fuel left on the landscape before wildfire season turns dangerous. Prescribed fire is one of CalFire’s year-round tools to promote healthy forests and protect communities, and Humboldt County’s Fire Safe Council backs beneficial fire, including prescribed fire, cultural burning and managed wildfire where appropriate.

For households in and around Ettersburg, visible smoke does not automatically mean a wildfire is moving through the area. People who are smoke-sensitive should keep windows and doors closed, choose a room that can be sealed off from outside air, and use a portable air cleaner or filter to keep that room cleaner. If you have to go outside, CDC guidance is to check local air quality and wear a well-fitting respirator.

Cal Fire and air-quality agencies plan these burns around weather and smoke-dispersion conditions. The North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District covers Humboldt, Del Norte and Trinity counties and handles prescribed-burning information and burn-permit support. California’s PFIRS system tracks prescribed fire, smoke management and ignition information.

This is not the first time crews have used fire in the Ettersburg area for vegetation control. A June 2025 local notice covered a 0.5-acre prescribed burn near Wilder Ridge Road targeting invasive barbed goatgrass, and Cal Fire-Humboldt-Del Norte announced a multi-day prescribed burn in the Ettersburg Ranch Road and Wilder Ridge Road area in October 2024 for habitat management. The Humboldt County Prescribed Burn Association formed and conducted its first burns in 2017, the first PBA formed in the western United States.