Soda Springs and Montpelier Ranger Districts Caribou-Targhee National Forest begin prescri

Soda Springs, ID and Montpelier, ID, October 29— The Soda Springs and Montpelier Ranger Districts of the Caribou Targhee National Forest are planning prescribed fire operations this Monday, November 3rd, pending all required approvals. We estimate this work to continue through the middle of December as weather conditions allow. We use prescribed fires to help reduce overgrown vegetation to help protect local communities, infrastructure and natural resources from wildfires.   

Prescribed fires planned for the area include:

• Lanes Creek Timber Sale Area (Caribou County, near FS RD #107 Southeast of Wayan, ID)
• Mosquito Timber Sale Area (Caribou County, near FS RD #117, East of Wayan, ID)
• Bridge Creek Portal Timber Sale Area (Caribou County, near FS RD #095 and south of Hwy 34/40, East of Wayan, ID)
• John Wood Timber Sale Area Timber Sale Area (Caribou County, Wood Canyon Southeast of Soda Springs, ID)
• Bear Lake West Hazardous Fuels Project (Bear Lake County, along the FS boundary west of Fish Haven, ID)

Those areas may be closed for public safety. 

Residents may experience smoke during the prescribed burns. For more detailed information about air quality, go to AirNow online or download the app. When driving, slow down and turn on your headlights when you encounter smoke on the road.

We will evaluate weather conditions in the hours before a burn begins. If conditions warrant, scheduled prescribed fire activities may be canceled.

Stay informed about the scheduled prescribed fires through the forest website, social media channels, and InciWeb, the interagency incident information system. We will notify county emergency management officials when burning begins.  

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology– and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.