[Updated 9/12/2022 at 5:00pm] As of late yesterday afternoon, the Mosquito Fire is considered fully contained within the main tract of Blodgett Forest. Berkeley Forests' Research Forest Manager, Ariel Roughton, was permitted to enter the property yesterday (9/11), and has begun assessing the impacts of the fire and fire suppression activities at the site. (PLEASE NOTE: The greater Georgetown / Quintette area is still under evacuation order and no one without express permission from local law enforcement / incident managers should attempt to enter the area.)
Ms. Roughton has confirmed that the fire burned with mixed effects throughout the property, ranging from high severity in some areas to low severity in others, that fire suppression activities have impacted certain research plots, and that no structures on the property were impacted by the fire. Berkeley Forests staff will now begin the task of cataloguing fire and fire suppression impacts to Blodgett Forest and the research there, and generating recommendations for each research plot based on the information gathered.
Fire behavior and weather continue to be favorable in the area, and the fire is expected to continue to move away from Blodgett Forest to the north / north east. Daily updates will not be published after today, 9/12, but any questions about the property may be directed to rachelle.hedges@berkeley.edu.
Berkeley Forests wishes to extend its deep appreciation to all of the agencies and fire crews working on the Mosquito Fire. We are grateful for the excellent communication they provided to our staff and the protection they afforded Blodgett Forest and the invaluable research being conducted there.
[Updated 9/11/2022 at 10:30am] Berkeley Forests staff continue to monitor the progress of the Mosquito Fire on Blodgett Forest. As of the Sunday morning Cooperator Meeting, fire crews have contained much of the active fire within the bounds of Blodgett Forest. Fire behavior and weather continue to be favorable in the area, and fire line is in place across much of the fire permiter located within Blodgett Forest (as visible on this map). As winds shift to a southwesterly flow (i.e. coming out of the southwest and moving east), fire weather will continue to be favorable to moving the fire away from Blodgett Forest.
Berkeley Forests' Research Forest Manager, Ariel Roughton, has worked dilligently with incident managers and the fire crews to ensure that the fire operations carried out at Blodgett Forest took into consideration the highly valuable research being conducted on the property. Thanks to her efforts, Berkeley Forests is hopeful that much of our existing research has been protected from fire suppression impacts (primarly dozer line).
[Updated 9/10/2022 at 9:27pm] Berkeley Forests staff continue to monitor the progress of the Mosquito Fire on Blodgett Forest. As of Saturday morning, the fire continued to burn with mixed severity across the property, but had not yet progressed to the bulidings in the "Headquarters" area. Weather conditions have been condusive to mixed severity, but as temperatures cool winds may become gustier in the region. Dozer lines are in place throughout the property. Protection of the local communities is the top priority for fire crews in the area.
Berkeley Forests staff continue to attend cooperators meetings and to coordinate with on the ground personnel. Updates will be published as they become available.
[Updated 9/9/2022 at 4:33pm] Berkeley Forests staff have confirmed with on-the-ground fire personnel that as of early morning September 9th, the Mosquito Fire is burning within the boundaries of Blodgett Forest Research Station, generally on the northern portion of the property. Prior to the fire entering the property, all Blodgett Forest personnel were evacuated and are safe at this time.
Fire safe clearing is in place around the structures on the property in the “Headquarters” area (where buildings including the Vaux Center, A-Frame Cabins, Staff House, and others are located). Although the fire has not yet burned in this area, it will likely reach this portion of the property in the coming day. Fire personnel have indicated that structure protection is their priority at this time, and that fire crews were able to construct dozer line around the buildings in the "Headquaters" area. A map of the fire perimeter in relation to our property boundary can be viewed here.
Berkeley Forests staff continue to coordinate with fire personnel with the goal of minimizing the impacts on the research plots throughout the forest. A more detailed update will be provided as additional information becomes available and Berkeley Forests staff are allowed back onto the property.
Blodgett Forest personnel are extremely busy at this time, and Berkeley Forests requests interested parties continue to check forests.berkeley.edu for updates, rather than contacting Blodgett Forest personnel directly. Urgent inquiries can be directed to Rachelle Hedges (rachelle.hedges@berkeley.edu) or 510-664-4903.