COEUR d'ALENE - Smoke produced by two U.S. Forest Service prescribed burns could be seen to the east of the Coeur d'Alene area Tuesday.

The Deerfoot Prescribed Fire was clearly visible on a forested hillside northeast of Hayden Lake within the Idaho Panhandle National Forest.

Burning in the drainages of Mokins, Nilson, Two Forks, Three Forks and Yellowbanks creeks will be part of the Deerfoot project. The Forest Service plans to burn as many as 600 acres there if weather, soil moisture and smoke dispersal conditions are met.

"We've actually been working on that (project), just chipping away at it, for the past at least two years," said Jason Kirchner, a spokesman in Coeur d'Alene for the national forest.

The weather conditions were just right for prescribed burns on Tuesday - not too hot or cold, not too humid or dry, and wind speeds low.

"As long as the conditions are good we'll continue to burn until it gets too hot and dry, or until the rains come and make it too wet," Kirchner said.

Smoke farther to the east - partially blocked from view by Canfield Mountain - was from the Blue Alder Prescribed Fire.

Burning related to the Blue Alder project will be done in the upper reaches of the Wolf Lodge Creek drainage.

Both prescribed burn projects will be using low-intensity fires on the forest floor, removing fuels that would feed possible forest fires. Large trees are not being burned.

"It's also helping fire regain its natural role in the environment with regeneration," Kirchner said.

More information about the fires: www.northidahorxfire.com.