SANDPOINT — If you saw smoke around the forests of southern Bonner County last week, don’t worry: it was all part of a U.S. Forest Service controlled burn.

As a property identified in 2004 for fire danger reduction, Grouse Mountain — a 250-acre region around four miles east of Sagle — received a scheduled prescribed burn to keep the region safer in anticipation of the fire season. The controlled fires cleared out an overgrowth of hazardous fuel, which had accumulated through an influx of insects, root disease, a lack of fire and changes in species composition, according to project leader A.J. Helgenberg.

Considering the interconnected ecology of local forests and the greater regions, it was important to address those warning signs, they added. A wildfire in the region would endanger regional wildlife, water systems and private lands and homes alike. By conducting the burn themselves, U.S. Forest service officials can utilize the healthy advantages of a natural fire while avoiding the dangerous to local people and wildlife.  

Project planners worked with several local institutions before beginning the controlled burn. The Bonner County Fire Mitigation Planning Group — or BONFire — played a large role, as did Sagle Fire District, nearby home owners, individual members of the general public and other community and government organizations.

Initially developed as a part of the Bonner County Fire Wildland Urban Interface Fire Mitigation Plan, the Grouse Mountain management plan uses a combination of fire and mechanical treatments. The approach allows forest workers to limit hazardous fuels, recycle forest nutrients, improve big game forage and prepare planting sites. In addition to limiting risk of wildfire, controlled burns improve forest health and hardiness, enhance wildlife habitat and improve biological diversity.

Several other sites around the region are included in the Sandpoint Ranger District’s forest management plan, including the 75-acre West Gold site near Lakeview and the 100-acre Prospect site and the 30-acre Gold Pond site near Bayview. These sites will likely receive similar prescribed burns throughout the spring season as long as weather and conditions cooperate.