A small prescribed fire burns near the base of Carter Mountain in the Shoshone National Forest south of Cody, Wyo. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate file photo - click to enlarge)
From Staff Reports
Teton Interagency Fire workers will begin setting controlled fires this week in Grand Teton National Park to reduce slash piles of dead wood, brush and debris.
If conditions allow, fire personnel will target 10 project areas around the park and in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Smoke may be visible from these controlled burns across a wide area, according to a statement released by the Grand Teton public affairs office.
The slash piles are mostly in developed areas where fire crews have completed fuels reduction projects, which include thinning and removing lower limbs from trees, and removing dead wood and brush from the forest floor.
Forest managers say pile burning is an effective way of eliminating woody debris, affording benefits to wildlife habitat, while lessening the risk of catastrophic wildfire and risk to firefighters in the event of a large-scale fire.
Pile burning projects for this fall are located throughout the park, including at Beaver Creek, the Whitegrass Ranch, the Mailbox Corner area, Leeks Marina, various location in the Colter Bay area, and near Kelly and Moose.
On the Bridger-Teton National Forest, pile burning is expected to continue into the coming weeks.
Piles will be ignited on the north end of the forest around Ann Mountain and Willow Creek, Granite Creek Drainage, Fall Creek Road, the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort area, and around the Blackrock Ranger District compound in Moran.
In the eastern portion of the Forest, pile burning can be expected along the Greys River Corridor, the East Table area of the Snake River Canyon, the Salt Pass area, as well as in the Hams Fork and LaBarge drainages.
For the western area of the Forest, piles will be ignited at Middle Piney Lake, Sacajawea Campground, Snyder Basin, the Rim, South Cottonwood, Halverson timber sale, Bare Mountain, Kendall Guard Station, Willow Guard Station, Dutch Joe Guard Station, Fish Creek Guard Station, Battle Mountain, and at Red Cliff.
Burning will take place during weather conditions that would minimize impacts of smoke to communities. All burning is to be done within parameters set forth in an approved burn plan.
For more information, contact Teton Interagency Fire dispatch at 307-739-3630.