BLM to conduct prescribed burns to reduce wildfire threat 

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Boise District will be conducting two prescribed burns in Owyhee County this fall to remove hazardous vegetation and reduce the risk of wildfires.

Exact timing of ignitions will be dependent on weather and ground conditions due to fire managers waiting for adequate moisture levels in project areas to minimize unintended fire spread. 

Bruneau-Owyhee-Sage-Grouse Habitat (BOSH) Mechanical Pile Burn – The burn will occur between Nov. 14 and Nov. 31 near Flint Creek Road approximately eight miles southeast of Jordan Valley, Ore. The objective of the burn is to remove 75 acres of western juniper that were cut and piled in an earlier phase of the Bruneau Owyhee Sage Grouse Habitat Project. Burning these piles under cooler, damp conditions will eliminate what might otherwise be a hazardous fuel source during a wildfire. 

Soda Fuel Breaks Burn – The burn will occur between Nov. 14 and Nov. 31 near Cow Creek Road approximately seven miles northeast of Jordan Valley, Ore. The objective of the 80-acre burn is to lower wildland fire risk in identified fuel breaks through the removal of unsafe accumulations of hazardous vegetation along fence lines and roadways.  

Once initiated, prescribed burning operations are expected to last up to three days, with personnel and equipment patrolling areas five to seven days afterwards. No road closures are expected, however, smoke from these prescribed burns has the potential to be visible from large distances due to the projects’ locations, vegetation types and burning conditions. 

The BLM uses a multi-year, phased approach to reduce the risk of wildland fire and prescribed fire is just one tool utilized by fire mangers. Year-round, crews are working on a multitude of other projects to help prevent catastrophic wildland fire including spraying noxious weeds, hand-cutting trees and creating fuel breaks.  

For additional information, contact the BLM Boise District Fire Information Line at 208-384-3378.