Controlled Burns To Begin In Forest

The Wallace, Fernan and Sandpoint ranger districts announced this week they’ll begin controlled burning soon on national forest lands to improve wildlife forage and lessen the risk of insect infestation and wildfires.

Fire management officer Craig Barnes said the timing of the burns depends on ground conditions and weather. After the snow melts, fire crews have a short period of time when forest debris such as needles and twigs are dry enough to burn and vegetation hasn’t grown leaves.

In the Sandpoint district, burns are scheduled for the Canyon Creek area southeast of Lake Pend Oreille and in the Grouse Mountain area, two miles southwest of Garfield Bay.

In the other two districts, burns are scheduled for Killarney Lake, Fourth of July Pass, Placer Creek, Pritchard and Jordan Camp areas.

The agency said burning won’t occur during times of atmospheric inversion or when wind conditions would carry smoke toward Coeur d’Alene, Sandpoint and other towns.

The U.S. Forest Service is a member of the North Idaho Airshed Group, which monitors air quality and uses a regulated smoke management program to minimize the amount of smoke in populated areas. , DataTimes