Boise, Idaho, April 24, 2019 — Southwest Idaho interagency fire managers anticipate favorable spring weather conditions for planned low-intensity prescribed burning.  Prescribed fires are designed to reduce hazardous vegetation (fuels), large wildfire potential to communities, and improve wildlife habitat.

Weather and conditions permitting, prescribed burning is scheduled to start in April and continue through June. Approximately 3,000 acres are planned for ignition in 13 project areas within the Boise National Forest.

Public and firefighter safety is always the first priority in all public land fire operations. Fire managers develop burn plans that account for safety, specific fuel and weather prescriptions and smoke management. All controlled burns are closely evaluated and are only approved when favorable conditions are present.

Prescribed burning may affect people sensitive to smoke and may impact access to burn areas and travel routes. Fire officials strongly advise forest visitors and homeowners to prepare and plan activities around the proposed dates and locations of burns and to use extreme caution near prescribed fire areas. Please be aware of firefighters and equipment in the area and on roadways, comply with posted notices and drive slowly in areas with decreased visibility.

Information and signs will be posted on roads that access burn areas in advance of ignitions and remain in place through burn completion.

Visit the www.rxfire.com website and click on the link (http://bit.ly/RxFireSWIdaho) to the interactive map with the latest planned areas of prescribed burning treatments. The interactive map will allow you to zoom in to your areas of interest to provide the latest information and a phone number to contact for more information. The Idaho Department of Lands, Bureau of Land Management, Payette National Forest, Boise National Forest, and Sawtooth National Forest planned prescribed fire treatments are in the map.

The Boise NF prescribed burning hotline is (208) 373-4208. The most current fire information will be posted on inciweb at: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5751/.

Planned Boise National Forest fall prescribed burns include:

Idaho City Ranger District

• Alder (261 acres): located 3 miles north of Placerville, Idaho. This a landscape burn (ground fire) using hand ignition to reduce fuel in the wildland urban interface.

• Alder Ridge (100 acres): located 1 miles north of Placerville, Idaho. This is a landscape burn (ground fire) using hand ignition to reduce fuel in the wildland urban interface.
• Amber (300 acres): located 2 miles east of Idaho City, Idaho. This is a modified tree well burn.
• Amber North (276 acres): located 4 miles southeast of Idaho City, Idaho. This is a modified tree well burn.
• Buckskin (200): located approximately 3 miles east of Idaho City, Idaho.
• Little Ophir (100 acres): located 4 miles west of Pioneerville, Idaho. A landscape burn using hand ignition that will reduce fuel in the wildland urban interface area.
• Little Ophir WUI (130 acres): located 1.5 miles northeast of Centerville, Idaho.
• Mores South-Granite Creek (50 acres): located 3 miles east of Idaho City, Idaho. This is a landscape burn (ground fire) using hand ignition to reduce fuel in the wildland urban interface.
• Mores South-Switchback (112 acres): located 5 miles southeast of Idaho City, Idaho in the Granite Creek Drainage.

Cascade Ranger District

• Horsethief (180 acres): located about 1 mile east/northeast of Horsethief Reservoir. This burn involves helicopter and hand ignition to reduce fuels over the area and is within the wildland urban interface.

• • Westside Restoration Unit 39 (25 acres): This project is located on National Forest System (NFS) road 435 along West Mountain. It is approximately 10 miles west of Cascade, Idaho. This will be hand ignition to reduce fuels within the wildland urban interface.
  • Lowman Ranger District

• West Lowman WUI (650 acres): located approximately 2 miles northeast of Lowman, Idaho between Clear and Miller creek drainages.

Emmett Ranger District

• Lodgepole Springs Underburn (585 acres): located approximately 14 miles north of Crouch,this will be a restoration underburn in the Silver Creek drainage north of FS road 671.