Extensive Effort To Recover Burned Land In Progress

U.S. Bureau of Land Management crews are busy reseeding public land burned in what is believed to be Idaho’s worst rangeland fire season in its history.

This summer, 438 blazes burned 752,000 acres of BLM land, a dramatic increase from the five-year average of 286 fires and nearly 200,000 acres.

For about 90,000 acres that may not recover naturally, the agency created rehabilitation plans.

The cost of carrying out the plans is estimated at $7 million. Recovery of the Boise Foothills from the Eighth Street Fire accounts for 20 percent of the total, largely due to contour trenching to reduce the chance of mudslides pouring into town.

The BLM is reseeding 90,000 acres of burned range with a variety of perennial grasses, forbs and shrubs, using native species if possible. It hopes the vegetation will prevent volatile cheatgrass from spreading.

The BLM will rest all of the burned ground from grazing for two years. Nearly 300 miles of fence are being built to protect it.