USFS
WENATCHEE - Forest Service crews plan to use prescribed/controlled good fire across 2,400 acres in the Methow Valley Ranger District this spring.
“Prescribed fire and thinning activities could start as early as mid-April, depending upon local weather conditions, and extend through mid-June,” Forestry Technician Wesley Page said.
“We hope to achieve a variety of objectives with these prescribed burns,” Page said. “The major goal is to reduce the amount of burnable fuels on the ground and minimize ladder fuels that could carry fire from the ground into the treetops. By removing these fuels, not only does it decrease wildfire intensity and the likelihood of crown fire activity, but it also helps protect adjoining communities and increases the resilience of these forests to future wildfires.”
District crews plan to use prescribed fire in seven units of various sizes east and northwest of Mazama, northwest of Winthrop, and southeast of Twisp. Units that will be burned include:
• 829 acres in the Goat Units located 2 miles east of Mazama
• 419 acres in the Lost Driveway Units adjacent to Mazama and 7 miles northwest of Mazama
• Reduce fuels generated from harvest activities and prepare the site for future tree regeneration on 66 acres in the Benzer Units located 11 miles southeast of Twisp
• Four locations northwest of Winthrop--56 acres in the Lucky Unit, 6 miles northwest of Winthrop, and three units 10 miles northwest of Winthrop in the Eightmile drainage (365 acres in the Sherwood unit, 363 acres in the Deer Unit, and 302 acres in the Ortell Unit)
An interactive map of the proposed burn areas may be viewed at www.tinyurl.com/harqnw8, and daily updates are recorded and available at 509-966-4040. Individuals may also be added to an email list to receive updates, contact Wesley Page (Wesley.g.page@usda.gov) to be added to the list.
All Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest burn projects are weather-dependent and fire specialists will cease burning as soon as possible if objectives are not being met or weather conditions are unfavorable. Primary concerns include favorable winds that can minimize smoke impacts to public health and the risk of fire escape.
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