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Ranger Districts Plan Prescribed Burns

The Emmett and Lowman Ranger Districts will begin the annual fall prescribed burn program in October, depending on the local weather and fuel moisture conditions.

On the Emmett District, burning operations will occur primarily on the east side of the District:

• Landing piles, comprised mostly of tree limbs and smaller wood material created from logging slash, will be ignited along National Forest System (NFS) roads 671 and 670 in the Silver Creek and Sixmile drainages. If landing piles have available firewood for public use, they will be left unburned.
• About 30 acres of thinning slash located off NFS road 611 within the Lightning Creek drainage will be burned using drip torches when conditions are moist enough to prevent any spread.
• Roughly 60 acres of handpiles created from a whitebark pine restoration project will be burned near Scott Mountain.
• Miscellaneous hand piles within the Pine Flats Campground will be burned.

In addition, landing piles will be burned on the west side of the District along NFS road 601 within the Pine Creek drainage.

On the Lowman Ranger District, fall prescribed burning will include ignition of hand piles and scattered slash:

• An underburn will be conducted on 33 acres of scattered slash 1 mile south of Lowman off Highway 21 near mile marker 73. This unit will be ignited by hand using drip torches. The objective of this burn is to reduce fuel loadings and create a seed bed for ponderosa pine regeneration.
• 90 acres of handpiles will be burned in and around the Bull Trout Campground.
• 41 acres of handpiled thinning slash will be burned in scattered areas across the District:

• - Off Highway 21 near mile marker 80
• - 21 acres near the overlook pull out on Highway 21 at mile marker 72.
• - 20 acres east of Kirkham Campground.

Site-specific burn plans have been developed to address potential smoke management concerns and the local smoke monitor, located in Garden Valley, will be analyzed daily once the prescribed burn season begins.  All burns will be conducted when there is favorable atmospheric ventilation to minimize smoke impacts to local communities.  Signs will be posted on roads near the burn area to notify travelers when burning is in progress.  Local residents may notice smoke from these prescribed burn projects for a few days following ignition, particularly in the evening hours. 

Those who feel they are particularly sensitive to smoke and wish to be notified of these burns before implementation should contact the Emmett Ranger District office, the Lowman Ranger District office, or the Garden Valley Work Station as soon as possible.  Your cooperation and patience during this period is appreciated.  

For more information about the fall season burning program, contact Tam Cook at

208-365-7000, at the Emmett Ranger District, or Rebecca Swenson 208-259-3361, at the Lowman Ranger District.  If you are interested in learning more, please call the Prescribed Fire Hotline at 373-4208