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4B Daily News – Thursday, November 7, 2013 Christmas tree permits on sale Christmas tree permits are available from the Mendocino National Forest for the 2013 holiday season. Permits are available for purchase in person or by mail from Mendocino National Forest offices, as well as at area vendors. Vendors are listed below with contact information for the Forest Service. Permits are $10 per tree at Forest Service offices. Customers are advised to call vendors to verify permit price and availability. The permits will be sold at Forest Service offices through Monday, Dec. 23. Trees may be cut and removed any day of the week in authorized areas of the Mendocino National Forest. Please check current Forest fire closure areas in case your annual tree cutting spot is within the closure. There is a limit of one permit per household, with each permit using a valid name and address. Up to four additional permits may be purchased for additional households, using separate names and addresses. Individuals must be 18 or older to purchase a permit. All Christmas tree permit sales are final, with no refunds. Permittees will receive a tree tag and Forest map. To purchase a permit by mail, send a printed name and mailing address for each permit purchased, a daytime telephone number, and a check or money order made out to "USDA Forest Service" for $10 for each permit to either the Willows, Stonyford, Upper Lake or Covelo offices with "Christmas Tree Permit" written on the outside of the envelope. Mail-in requests received after December 14 will not be filled. A form can be found online at www.fs.usda.gov/main/mendocino/passes-permits/forestproducts under "Christmas Tree Permits." If you are planning on cutting a Christmas tree for someone who isn't present, a Third Party Authorization must be in the possession of the cutter. This form is also available on the Forest website and should be completed prior to leaving for the forest. Permit holders should be aware that federal and state quarantines to prevent the spread of sudden oak death (SOD) are in effect for Lake and Mendocino Counties. Any Christmas tree cut in these counties can only be transported into other SOD quarantine counties, including Alameda, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Marin, San Francisco, Monterey, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma. All Mendocino National Forest offices will be closed Thursday, Nov. 28 in observance of Thanksgiving. Christmas tree permits can be purchased for $10 at the Paskenta Work Station, 13280 Paskenta Road, Paskenta, 530833-5544, Hours: Saturday, Dec. 7 and 14 only 9 a.m. to noon and 12:30-3 p.m. Christmas tree permits are available from the Sacramento River Discovery Center, only 40 permits available, 1000 Sale Lane, Red Bluff, 530-5271196, Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.. Cutting a Christmas tree on the National Forest is a great holiday tradition for many families and also helps with hazardous fuels reduction by removing smaller trees from the Forest. Following are some tips to make your experience more enjoyable. • Plan your trip – check the weather, bring plenty of warm clothes, water, emergency food, tire chains, shovel, a saw or axe to cut your tree, and a tarp and rope to bring it home. Make sure you have a full tank of gas when you leave and are prepared for changing conditions in the mountains! Also, let someone know where you are going and when you plan to be back. • Keep vehicles on designated roads and be aware of changing weather and road conditions. Wet dirt roads can quickly turn to mud, making it possible to get stuck and causing damage to road, soil and water resources. If there are puddles in the road, mud flipping off the tires or you can see your ruts in the rearview mir- Prescribed burning season begins WILLOWS – The Mendocino National Forest is once again entering prescribed burning season. The public may notice smoke in various parts of the forest during the next few months as part of the continued commitment to protect communities and natural resources from wildfires. Forest visitors, including hunters, are asked to be aware of their surroundings and watch for prescribed burning operations to maintain personal safety. Areas where prescribed burning operations are taking place will be well signed and there will be increased fire personnel in the area. If visitors are uncertain, they are encouraged to contact the Forest at 530-934-3316 before their visit to see where prescribed burns are planned for the day. As cooler weather and higher humidity move in, there is an opportunity to bring fire into the forest in a controlled setting. Prescribed fires are used to clear the forest floor of small fuels and brush without burning or killing large trees. Prescribed burns are conducted when there is a window of opportunity and specific conditions and criteria are met before, and will be sustained, during and after the burn. These include temperature, wind conditions, relative humidity and fuel moisture levels. The Forest also takes air quality into consideration. "Prescribed burning is an important tool for the Forest to use for hazardous fuels reduction and forest health improvement, including wildlife habitat," said Grindstone Ranger District Fire Management Officer Matt Ellis. "The fires are intended to be slow, lowintensity creeping fires on the forest floor. Although there are only a few opportunities for prescribed burns, they produce less smoke and there aren't the resource impacts typically created by large wildfires." The season traditionally runs from early October through spring as weather permits. The burning operations are monitored and patrolled frequently to ensure public safety. During the prescribed burning season, fire crews also burn piles of wood debris and fuel that are the result of fuel reduction activities in the forest. The Grindstone Ranger District also plans to burn piles in the Ocean View area west of Forest Highway 7 with operations starting as soon as next week, conditions permitting. In addition to Ocean View, there are plans to burn additional piles across the Grindstone Ranger District during this fall and winter. The focus right now is to get to higher elevation sites before they become inaccessible due to snow and poor road conditions. District staff are planning to conduct prescribed burning activities on approximately 2,500 acres, including understory burning near Alder Springs and Ivory Mill. On the west side of the Forest, prescribed burning is planned for the following general areas on the Upper Lake Ranger District: Along Elk Mountain Road, in the areas of Howard Mill, along the 17N39 Road in the Willow Creek area, along the M10 Northeast of the Three Crossings area, Boardman Ridge, High Valley, Streeter Ridge, Pine Mountain, Lake Pillsbury and Little Round Mountain. On the Covelo Ranger District, prescribed burns are planned in the vicinity of Bredehoft Place, Howard Lake and Pinto Ridge. Selected campgrounds, guard stations and miscellaneous pile burning will also be included in the prescribed burning operations. Prescribed burning announcements will be placed at local ranger stations prior to ignition. Mendocino National Forest employees are committed to a safe and successful prescribed burning season for both the public and employees. For more information, please contact the Grindstone Ranger District at 530-9343316, the Upper Lake Ranger District at 707-275-2361 or visit www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino. An Independently owned and operated Member of Coldwell Banker Residential Affiliates. The busiest local information website in Tehama County! OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK C & C PROPERTIES 741 Main Street, Suite #2, Red Bluff 1-800-287-2187 • (530) 527-2187 www.northstatehomes.com 2550 Sister Mary Columba Dr., Red Bluff (530) 529-8000 http://www.redbluff.mercy.org Red Bluff 590 Antelope Blvd. Suite B-30 529-9454 Corning 275 Solano St. #2 Little Caesars ® RED BLUFF, 108 MAIN STREET, SUITE C (BY RIVER PARK) Please support these businesses that support RedBluffDailyNews.com ror, consider pulling over and taking a hike to look for a tree, or turning around and finding a different area to cut your tree. • Cut your tree early in the season before favorite cutting areas can't be reached because of snow. •∫ Make sure you are cutting a tree on approved areas on the Mendocino National Forest and not from other federal, state or private lands. • Cut the tree as close as possible to the ground and leave as little of a stump as possible. • Attach the permit on the tree where it will be easily visible with the tree packed or tied on your vehicle for transport home. • To help keep your tree fresh, cut at least one inch off the base when you get home and stand the tree in a container of water in a cool, shaded area, checking the water level daily. For more information, please contact the Mendocino National Forest or visit www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino. Curfew, rent cited in killing of Ariz. grandmother PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona police say a man charged with killing his grandmother beat the woman with a shovel before slitting her throat because he was upset with her strict curfew rules and how much she charged him for rent. Jason Eric Howell is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, hindering prosecution and abandoning a body. The 40-year-old does not yet have an attorney. He was being held Wednesday in the jail's psychiatric unit and was unavailable for comment. Howell is set for a court appearance next week. Police say he led investigators to the desert about 75 miles southwest of Phoenix where 78year-old Helen Jean Lee's body was found Saturday. They believe he killed her around Oct. 30, the same day he was arrested on multiple charges after authorities say he stole a car outside an elementary school. 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