ELBA, Idaho — Residents in south-central Idaho may notice smoky plumes in the coming days, but the Forest Service says there is no cause for alarm — the smoke is intentional.
About 80 wildfire personnel are on hand to ignite and manage the Stinson Creek Prescribed Fire near Elba-Oakley Pass. Crews began working at the top of a ridgeline, setting an outer perimeter fire that will work its way down and eventually contain a 5,000-acre burn.
WATCH | Prescribed burning begins in Albion mountains near Oakley:
Fuels specialist Stacy Tyler said the smoke will be noticeable.
"The smoke will definitely be visible from the valley and could be some pretty impressive fire behavior," Tyler said.
The prescribed burn has been in the works for seven years, but weather conditions were not optimal until now.
"The difference with wildfire versus prescribed fire — we were very proactive with our planning. It takes years to get to the point where we're comfortable with lighting the match and keeping it contained within the box," Tyler said.
Tyler compared the process to routine landscaping.
"It's not all that dissimilar from how folks landscape their yard. When we go and identify places where we're looking at the ways that we can do things that are going to create healthy forest, healthy trees, healthy grass, and shrub communities that are good for wildlife," Tyler said.
The Stinson Creek fire is targeting dense stands of subalpine fir showing signs of disease and insect damage. Without a prescribed burn, the area faces a greater risk of larger wildfire, which burns hotter and causes longer-lasting damage.
Tyler said encroachment from conifers is a key concern.
"We have a lot of places where when aspen don't have fire to disturb them we get conifer encroachment, and so subalpine fir grows in and we try to go in and burn those trees," Tyler said.
Forest managers say a controlled burn conducted in spring or fall produces lower fire intensity, allowing the forest to regenerate with aspen stands that provide more forage and better wildlife habitat.
The prescribed fire also creates strategic advantages for future firefighting efforts.
"Overall it's going to provide some fuel breaks where firefighters can engage a fire much more safely than if we didn't do the prescribed fire at all," Tyler said.
The Stinson Creek Prescribed Fire is one of 4 planned burns in the Sawtooth National Forest. Three others are planned in the Albion-Oakley area and near Magic Mountain, south of Twin Falls.
An interactive map of designated burn areas is available on the Forest Service website
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