Digest : Local News in Brief : May Canyon Chaparral Is Control-Burned
About 1,000 acres of dry chaparral in May Canyon above Sylmar were burned Friday by the U.S. Forest Service to reduce the amount of combustible material in mountainous areas.
Smoke from the fire was visible throughout the day in the East Valley.
The burns are prescribed for areas where the chaparral has been growing uncontrolled for more than 20 years. The continuing burning program is designed to prevent wildfires, allow new greenery to grow and promote the flow into the San Fernando Valley of water that otherwise would be soaked up by old brush, according to Susan Marzec, a Forest Service spokeswoman.
The Forest Service burns about 6,000 acres each year in the Angeles National Forest, Marzec said. She added that the Forest Service would like to expand the program but is limited by weather and wind conditions.
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