'Tis the season for prescribed burns
COEUR d’ALENE — Hunters, hikers and late-season campers should be aware that the Panhandle National Forest has plans to torch over 4,800 acres of forest in the five northern counties of Idaho.
“It’s really important for hunters and campers to check our website before going out into the forest,” said Forest Public Affairs Officer Jason Kirchner. “A couple of years ago we had a close call with a hunter who didn’t see our warning signs.”
Kirchner said the Forest Service posts warning signs and alerts campers in areas where they are going to do a prescribed burn. In the case of the hunter, Kirchner said he somehow got behind their warning signs when they started igniting the fire by helicopter.
“It was a pretty hairy situation,” he said, adding the hunter made it out unharmed, but it could have been disastrous.
The Forest Service uses prescribed burns to reduce dead and downed fuels, and to selectively thin understory trees in dense forested stands.
The agency says fire can stimulate fire resistant plant species, enhance forage and reduce the risk of large stand-replacement fires.
On Friday the Forest Service issued a press release saying the fall weather conditions are ideal for controlled burns, so when the conditions are just right they try to ignite portions of the forest that have been identified for prescribed burns.
“There is a lot of science that goes into it,” Kirchner said. “But where we burn is heavily dependent on the weather.”
He said the Panhandle National Forest has developed a wide ranging list of 17 areas they want to burn from the Canadian border down to Benewah County. In total they have 4,805 acres of land on the list.
“We don’t expect we will be able to burn all 4,800 acres in one season,” Kirchner said. “We will only burn a couple of hundred acres at a time.”
Once the fire is ignited, it will usually burn for two or three days, and then smolder until it is extinguished by rain or snow. Kirchner said the Forest Service will be looking for windows of opportunity until the conditions are no longer conducive to fire.
“We will continue to burn as long as we have fall conditions,” he said. “If it gets too cold or we get too much rain, we are out of our window.”
The agency’s release said that burn areas can pose hazardous conditions such as rapid and unpredictable spreading of flames, falling trees, heavy smoke and limited visibility, as well as rolling rocks and logs.
Members of the public are urged to stay away from these areas during burning operations and for a few days afterward.
“If you plan on recreating or hunting in these project areas make sure you understand your location relative to the burn units,” the release warned. “If you find yourself in an active burn area, you should travel downslope or away from the predominant path of flames, because fire typically burns fastest upslope.”
When burn dates or date ranges are forecasted, signs will be posted along access roads and near affected trailheads and trail junctions. In some cases, temporary access restrictions or closures may be used for public safety, the release said.
Know before you go
- The Panhandle National Forest is going to ignite prescribed burns all across North Idaho this fall. Hunters, hikers and campers are encouraged to check the website below to see where the latest burning may occur. The public is encouraged to stay away from the active burning areas. Go to www.northidahorxfire.com for more information.