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Prescribed burns slated on IPNF
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April 17, 2012 |
The Idaho Panhandle National Forests plan to
conduct prescribed burning during the spring and
fall of 2012 on multiple locations across
national forest system lands.
Burns planned in Boundary County include
Borderline Stew, located approximately 20 miles
north of Bonners Ferry along Highway 95; the
Bethlehem Wildlife, located approximately 14
miles north of Bonners Ferry; and the Stampede,
located approximately 10 mile south of Bonners
Ferry.
The planned fires are part of the forest’s
larger prescribed fire program designed to
reduce hazardous fuels, improve big game habitat
and improve forest health through prescribed
burning during the spring and the fall.
“These prescribed fires compliment local
community wildfire protection plans, and provide
great benefits to forest health,” said Forest
Supervisor Mary Farnsworth. “The end result will
be reduced wildfire risks for local communities,
improved wildlife habitat and a large step
toward restoring the forest’s resiliency to
threats such as uncharacteristic fires, insects
and disease.”
Prescribed burning will only be conducted when
certain weather, fuel moisture and smoke
dispersion criteria are met, so the exact timing
of burning is unknown.
Up to 12,000 acres of national forest system
lands in north Idaho could be burned this spring
and fall depending on conditions. A complete
list of planned prescribed fires including
contact information and planned fire locations
is available online at
northidahorxfire.com or on the Idaho
Panhandle National Forests website.
Additionally, prescribed fire information will
be maintained on a prescribed fire hotline at
1-800-232-FIRE.
If you plan on recreating or hunting in these
project areas make sure you understand your
location relative to the burn units.
“Prescribed fire areas can be dangerous, so we
urge members of the public to stay away from
these areas during our burning operations and
for a few days afterward,” Supervisor Farnsworth
emphasized. If you find yourself in an active
burn area, you should travel downslope or away
from the predominant path of flames, because
fire typically burns fastest upslope. When burn
dates or date ranges are forecasted, signs will
be posted along access roads and near affected
trailheads and trail junctions. Temporary access
restrictions or closures may be utilized if
deemed necessary for public safety. Supervisor
Farnsworth added, “We will minimize the use of
closures by closing the smallest areas possible,
and for the shortest time period necessary to
protect public safety.”
Although areas will be monitored and inspected
prior to ignition as an attempt to ensure that
no members of the public are present, people who
frequent these areas must inform themselves and
use caution. A helicopter will be used to ignite
many of these areas, and active burning will
occur for a period of 2-3 days, with smoldering
fire afterward until rains extinguish the fires.
Burn areas can pose very hazardous conditions
such as rapid and unpredictable spreading of
flames, falling trees, heavy smoke and limited
visibility, and rolling rocks and logs.
Prescribed burns, especially those within areas
that contain a high volume of vegetation, often
produce large amounts of smoke.
The Idaho Panhandle National Forests is a member
of the Montana/Idaho Airshed Group, which
monitors and limits the accumulation of smoke
from controlled burns through scientific
monitoring of weather conditions and formal
coordination of burns. However, people who are
sensitive to smoke may want to avoid these areas
during burning operations.
For additional information please visit
northidahorxfire.com, the Idaho Panhandle
National Forests website or call your local
Forest Service office for the latest
information. |
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