NewsFacebookHot Springs,ID-- The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Idaho Falls District will continue burning slash piles beginning this fall in the Crystal Springs project area, south of Bird Canyon and west of Indian Falls subdivision. Thirty-acres of piled juniper will be lit during the Crystal Springs prescribed fire, or approximately 2-3 miles north,northwest of Lava Hot Springs.
Junipers are volatile, burning very hot and fast during a wildfire. The reduction of juniper benefits the sagebrush steppe ecosystem as a whole, and because stands of dense junipers soak up large amounts of water,reducing availability for other native plants, block sunlight for wildflowers and grasses, or give predator birds a perch to hunt small animals and birds.
“The Crystal Springs prescribed fire will reduce the encroachment of juniper into the wildland urban interface of Lava Hot Springs,which will reduce the potential for a large catastrophic wildfire in the area,” said Joel Gosswiller, and Idaho Falls District BLM Fire Management Officer.
Firefighters will individually light each juniper pile when favorable weather and fuel conditions are met. Smoke may be seen from areas near the burn location,but fire personnel are taking precautions to reduce smoke impact to local residents.
While the BLM works to mitigate fires in the wildland urban interface, retract a moment to assess your home’s defensible space. Is your home prepared for a large wildfire?You can start by reducing fuels on your property. Remove juniper and other volatile plants near your home and withhold up with yardwork.
For more information on what you can accomplish to protect your home from a wildfire visit, or www.idahofirewise.organd www.wildlandfirersg.org.
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Source: blogspot.com