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BLM to conduct prescribed burns to reduce wildfire risk
BOISE, Idaho – Beginning November 7, 2024, and continuing through May 2025, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will conduct a series of prescribed burns across southwest Idaho. These prescribed burns aim to reduce hazardous fuel accumulations from previous thinning and piling operations. By removing these fuels, the BLM seeks to enhance landscape resiliency, protect local habitats, and improve firefighter and public safety by reducing wildfire risks. Burn activities will proceed as weather, staffing, and on-ground conditions allow. Acreages are approximate.
BLM expands aircraft capabilities in Mountain Home to fight wildland fire
BOISE, Idaho–The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Boise District will begin construction on the Mountain Home Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) Base at the Mountain Home Municipal Airport on July 21, 2024. The new base will expand aircraft availability to respond more quickly to fight wildland fires in southwestern Idaho and the surrounding area.
Bruneau-Owyhee-Sage-Grouse Habitat (BOSH) Pile Prescribed Burn- Burns are planned near the following:
- Charity Springs located on Toy Pass (10 acres);
- Bull Meadows near Reynolds Creek (523 acres);
- Mudflat Road approximately 15 miles south of Grandview, ID (325 acres);
- Trout Creek Road approximately five miles east of Jordan Valley, OR (20 acres).
Burn operations will target mechanical and hand piles, helping to reduce hazardous fuels on the landscape.
Silver City Pile Prescribed Burn- Approximately 29 acres of Douglas fir, previously cut and piled, will be burned near Silver City, ID, northeast along Silver City Road near War Eagle/Cinnabar Road. Timing of this burn is dependent on cooler, damp conditions optimal for prescribed burning.
Juniper Mountain Kiosk Pile Prescribed Burn- Covering 110 acres of previously cut, piled, and cured western juniper, this burn will be near Juniper Mountain Road, Mudflat Road, and Twin Springs Road, about 33 miles south-southeast of Jordan Valley, OR.
Each prescribed burn operation is expected to last three to five days, with personnel and equipment patrolling and monitoring areas for another three to five days. Temporary road closures may be implemented during firing operations for public and firefighter safety. Depending on weather and topography, smoke may be visible from a distance in affected areas. The BLM is committed to reducing wildfires risks through proactive fuel management. Prescribed fire is an essential tool in the BLM’s wildfire prevention strategy. For additional information, contact BLM Boise District Fire Information Line at 208-384-3378.
The Mountain Home SEAT Base will include several critical components: a fire-retardant loading pad, a containment area, an evaporation pond, two taxilanes, an operations building, and a storage facility. This pivotal project is funded by the BLM through a lease agreement with the City of Mountain Home Airport.
“This facility will significantly enhance our local and regional wildland fire aviation support capacity. Mountain Home’s central location is strategically advantageous, enabling us to efficiently support both local and regional communities,” said BLM Boise District Fire Management Officer Chris Cromwell. “This area experiences one of the highest amount of new fires in the country, making this facility crucial for our firefighting efforts.”
The SEAT Base improvements will further the BLM’s mission to be a good steward of public lands and continue to provide professional wildfire response to local and nearby geographic areas.
“We’re extremely excited to see the new improvements to the SEAT Base get underway and look forward to the opportunities this will afford us in the coming years,” added Cromwell.
The project is expected to be completed by May 2025, in time for the 2025 fire season.