Cd'A River Ranger District plans prescribed burns

The Coeur d'Alene River Ranger District plans to conduct prescribed burning in the next several days on National Forest System lands near the Coeur d'Alene area.

The planned fires are part of the 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 complement local community wildfire protection plans, and provide great benefits to forest health," District Ranger Chad Hudson said. "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."

Approximately 370 acres of harvest-generated fuel will be burned in the Blue Alder project area near Fourth of July Pass. Smoke from these burns will be highly visible from Interstate 90 near Fourth of July Pass. An additional 530 acres of naturally-accumulating fuels may be burned within the Blue Creek, Rutherford Gulch and Alder Creek drainages.

Prescribed burning within the Deerfoot project area will occur about one-half mile east of Hayden Lake within the Jim Creek, and Yellowbanks drainages. Prescribed burning may also occur in the Three Forks Creek area, for a total of approximately 600 acres of burning in the Deerfoot Project.

Ignition of these prescribed fires will be followed by patrol and mop-up operations for several days, as necessary. "Prescribed fire areas can be dangerous, so we need the public to stay away from these areas for a few days during our burning operations," Ranger Hudson said.

Burn areas can pose very hazardous conditions such as rapid and unpredictable spreading of flames, falling snags and trees, heavy smoke and limited visibility, and rolling rocks and logs. If you find yourself in an active burn area, you must travel downslope or away from the predominant path of flames, because fire typically burns fastest upslope.

Prescribed burns, especially those within areas that contain a high volume of vegetation often produce large amounts of smoke. The Coeur d'Alene River Ranger District 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 and maps of the project areas, please visit our website, www.northidahorxfire.com. For up-to-date information on plans for prescribed burning, call the information line at 1-800-232-FIRE. You can also contact Sam Gibbons of the Coeur d'Alene River Ranger District at (208) 664-2318.