Burn season near for federal lands

Smoke will be puffing out of national forests in coming days as spring burning season begins. The U.S. Forest Service hopes to burn at least 8,000 acres in the Inland Northwest by the middle of May, weather conditions permitting.

Conducted each spring, the prescribed burns help reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire later in the season, said Tom Weinmann, fire management officer for the Colville National Forest’s Three Rivers Ranger District. The fires also help clear logging slash and boost forage for deer and elk.

Between 600 and 800 acres in the Coeur d’Alene area will be burned, including in the Coeur d’Alene Mountain area near Hayden Lake, on the hillsides above Fernan Lake and in the Canfield-Nettleton Gulch areas, according to the Idaho Panhandle National Forests.

The Forest Service does not set exact times for the burns because the operations are heavily dependent on the weather, Weinmann said. Planners determine optimal conditions using a variety of tools, including computer programs, custom-tailored weather forecasts and fuel moisture meters.

“Sometimes we only have a one-day burn window,” Weinmann said. “You’ve really got to be on the mark and in the right place at the right time.”

Most burning is finished by the middle of May.

Among the burns planned for the Colville National Forest are 416 acres in the Burnt Valley near Chewelah and two fires east of Addy, Wash., aimed at increasing elk habitat.

– James Hagengruber

Bonner County

Absentee ballots are now available

Absentee ballots in Bonner County for the May 23 primary election are now available. Kootenai County won’t have its absentee ballots ready until next week.

In Bonner County, absentee ballots are available at the county clerk’s office, 215 S. First Ave., or online at www.co.bonner.id.us. Voters also may request an absentee ballot by writing to the clerk’s office.

All requests must be dated and signed by each individual voter. Spouses cannot sign for one another.

Anyone obtaining an absentee ballot in person must vote at the clerk’s office and cannot take the ballot out of the office.

May 17 is the last day the office will accept a mailed request for a ballot. The last day to obtain an absentee ballot in person is May 22. All absentee ballots must be returned to the clerk’s office by 8 p.m. Election Day.

For more information, call Bonner County Clerk Marie Scott at (208) 265-1432, Ext. 200.

– Erica Curless