Fire

The Payette National Forest is a leader in fire management and we are committed to safety, our partners and communities, and the professional development of our people. Our fire management decisions support ecological function and social values, leading to healthy landscapes. 

Fire plays a natural role in the ecosystems of the Payette National Forest. It promotes vegetative and wildlife diversity and eliminates heavy fuel accumulations that can lead to catastrophic wildfire if not removed. Wildland fire plays an important role in establishing vegetation characteristics such as species composition, stand structure, and as a disturbance pattern across landscapes. It can also affect or be affected by other disturbances such as insects, disease, invasive plants, grazing and logging activities

Forest fires can either be planned or unplanned. Planned, or prescribed, fires are employed for fuels and/or resource benefit purposes. Unplanned fires are ignited by natural causes (such as lightning) or humans (such as campfires not extinguished thoroughly). While natural causes cannot be escaped, human causes can which makes it important to always be aware of your fire and only start fires in designated areas.