The towering pines of North Idaho add to the area's charm. 

To protect these trees, about 100 acres of land along Interstate 90 from Fernan Lake to Higgens Point is set to have prescribed burns soon to reduce hazardous wildfire fuels near the highway.

Kootenai County’s FireSmart program is leading the project, tasking consulting forester Steve Bloedel of Inland Forest Management as project manager. He says crews spent the summer cutting and piling excess vegetation to reduce risk of future wildfires.

“The whole objective is to try to make that corridor safer,” Bloedel said. “We've had a couple fires in the past that have gotten started, and they've been lucky enough to stop them.”

One area of concern is near the Mullan Trail Road offramp heading east, where burn piles sit next to and under a group of trees the project intends to save. 

“From my perspective, those burn piles will destroy the trees they want to save,” said John Goedde, former Idaho state senator.

The piles are being burned in these conditions because it was determined mechanical equipment could not feasibly access much of the terrain to move piles elsewhere. The optics of burning material directly next to trees may seem counterintuitive, but Bloedel said that it is safe and crews will take steps to mitigate any accidental wildfire risk.

“It can appear that we’re not aware or we’re negligent, but that's not the case,” Bloedel said. “We really just don't have a lot of choices without cutting even more vegetation. The fire getting hot enough to spread from tree to tree is almost zero.”

Kootenai County Fire & Rescue Fire Marshal Jeryl Archer said most piles in this project are not very large, reducing the risk of fire spreading.

“Most of the piles are 6 to 8 feet in diameter and 6 to 8 feet in height,” Archer said. “The main purpose is to burn the fuel during a safe time of year instead of a hazardous time like in August.”

Before crews begin their burns, officials will evaluate factors like weather conditions, fuel moisture and smoke dispersal to minimize potential hazards. 

“They're going to cross a lot of T's and dot a lot of I's before they light the first pile,” Archer said. “This time of year, fuel reduction burning is quite common.”

Because weather can be unpredictable, there is no set date yet for burns near Mullan Trail Road. However, Bloedel says signage will be posted advertising the burns and that a date could be set for this week.

“We've been watching the weather and we're going to try to burn those piles when we get a window where all the conditions kind of come together as best they can to keep people safe, keep smoke away from the freeway and away from town,” Bloedel said.

As the prescribed burns near, Archer wants people to know the difference between the prescribed burns and hazardous fires. Light gray and white smoke is “good smoke,” whereas dark gray and black smoke indicates unclean material or a structure fire.

“We do expect a lot of phone calls, and we ask that people be patient through this process,” Archer said. “It will make the timber in the area much safer for all residents."

 
  

    A row of burn piles stacked near Mullan Trail Road. Each pile is about six to eight feet tall and six to eight feet wide.