Nevada City Plans Pile Burning in Deer Creek Canyon
Weather and air quality will determine workdays through mid-December.
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A controlled-burn sign displays tentative dates of November 16–December 4. The city’s November 13 announcement gives an overall operating window through mid-December, weather permitting.
City of Nevada City
NEVADA CITY – Nevada City’s Office of Emergency Services plans to begin burning piles of cut vegetation in Deer Creek Canyon and on city-owned open space the week of November 16. Work will continue through mid-December as weather permits, according to the city’s November 13 announcement.
The Nevada City Fire Fuels Crew will burn woody debris piled during earlier vegetation-clearing work near Champion Mine Road and west of Providence Mine Road. Burning will generally take place from 8 AM to 5 PM, depending on weather and air quality.
The city says it will monitor air quality and take steps to reduce smoke reaching downtown. Residents may see additional crew activity and temporary signs near work areas. The city will notify nearby residents through mailers, roadside signs, and social media as work progresses.
The burns are part of the Deer Creek Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project and the Nevada City Open Space Fuels Reduction Project, which aim to reduce vegetation that could feed a wildfire. The city’s fuels crew is supported by Measure C, the half-cent sales tax for wildfire prevention that Nevada City voters approved in March 2024.
The larger Deer Creek project covers about 350 acres along the canyon’s south side. The area includes Deer Creek and Seven Hills Schools, homes, businesses, and the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
Within that broader effort, the city is working with Nevada County’s Office of Emergency Services and the Tahoe National Forest on about 174 acres of mechanical vegetation treatment. Plans for that phase, supported by federal Forest Service funding, call for machinery to reduce smaller trees and brush while retaining larger, healthy trees. The city’s fuels crew continues work in other portions of the canyon.
The city shares updates under @NevadaCityCA on Facebook, Instagram, and Nextdoor. Questions about the burning operations can be directed to the Nevada City Office of Emergency Services at 530-265-2496, extension 121.