Idaho Falls District BLM to Conduct Prescribed Burns

The Idaho Falls District Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to conduct multiple prescribed burns in eastern Idaho this fall as weather and fuel conditions allow.  The project areas vary in scope and purpose, but aspen regeneration is common to many of them.  Aspen regenerate via root suckers and thrive on disturbance to spur new growth.  They also require abundant sunlight which is often inhibited by overgrowth and conifer encroachment in the absence of natural fire occurrence.  Depending upon weather conditions, burning is expected to begin Monday, Nov. 2 and continue throughout the month.  Fire managers must operate within a pre-identified margin of conditions to achieve the best results.

The BLM will be conducting prescribed fire operations in the following project areas:

Ninemile - Northeast of Downey, Idaho, the 85-acre project area is composed of juniper and Douglas fir slash piles created by both hand and machinery.  The intent is to improve the Downey watershed and protect it from a potentially devastating fire incident.

Soda Hills - A total of about 25 acres will be burned in the heads of 90% Canyon and Idaho Ranch Canyon, north and west of Soda Springs, Idaho.  Machine piles at 90% Canyon will be burned as part of a timber sale cleanup to reduce downed fuels on the rangeland.  Hand piles in Idaho Ranch Canyon are being treated to reduce conifer encroachment and encourage aspen regeneration.

Patelzick Creek - About five miles west of Spencer, within the southern foothills of the Beaverhead Mountain Range, the Patelzick Creek Aspen Health Project consists of about 35 acres of piles that were created following a thinning treatment that occurred in the summer of 2014.  This thinning was done in response to the overpopulating of aspen stands and an adjacent spring complex by encroaching conifers.  If left untreated, these conifers would have outcompeted the remaining aspen.  The goal of the treatment is to improve wildlife habitat, stimulate aspen growth and increase soil moisture and spring output. 

 

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Caribou-Targhee National Forest Hiring Permanent Fire Personnel

The Caribou-Targhee National Forest (CTNF) is currently recruiting a number of permanent fire positions through the 2016 Spring Region 4 Fire Hire. The closing date is December 1st, 2015. Positions are available in Helitack, Engines, Handcrews, and Fuels. The positions are being advertised through Demo and Merit Permanent FIRE Announcements that can be found at www.usajobs.gov. For more information on the CTNF, eastern Idaho, and the available jobs, visit http://idahofireinfo.blm.gov/east/.

Twin Falls District Seeking- Assistant Unit Aviation Manager

Assistant Unit Aviation Manager, GS-2101-7/9

Announcement No: ID-Merit-2016-0010

Opens: 10/27/2015    Closes:  11/17/2015

Location:  Twin Falls, Idaho

Full Performance Level:  GS-9

Moving expenses ARE authorized.

Open to all current or former federal employees nationwide with competitive civil service status or reinstatement eligibility.

To apply, click on this link:  USAJOBS 

San Francisco 49ers Tackle Drone Safety

A look back at the 2015 fire season for the Idaho Department of Lands

As the end of October nears, a five-month long fire season - one of the worst on record for northern Idaho - slowly cools off. The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) and two timber protective associations have been fighting fire since May and are still mopping up fires this week. Together we have put out close to 300 fires that burned75,000 acres, racking up close to $80 million in fire suppression costs - about $60 million of which Idaho taxpayers will pay. Fire managers are still encouraging the public to report fires as soon as they see smoke. Nearly half the fires we fought were human caused. The total number of fires on lands protected by the State of Idaho was a fairly typical 89 percent of the 20-year average, while the number of acres burned was huge - 594 percent of the 20-year average. The vast majority of wildfires are put out before they reach ten acres. However, but the fires that escape initial attack cost taxpayers the most money to suppress. That's particularly true when the fires require the use of an incident management team.  Fourteen IDL fires required the use of 27 incident management teams. The teams are interagency groups of fire management professionals specially trained and experienced in managing complex wildfires. Agencies order a team when a fire escapes initial attack and is expected to exceed the agency's local district resources. There are high costs associated with the use of Type 1 and Type 2 incident management teams.

Tamarack Resort Firewise Demonstration Landscape

 Tamarack Environmental Protection Association (TEPA) applied for and received grant funds from Idaho Firewise (IDFW) August 21, 2014. The grant was used to help cover costs associated with plant materials that were used in a Firewise demonstration landscape adjacent to the Tamarack Resort emergency services building located in the West Mountain area of Long Valley Idaho.

Idaho Firewise Southern Idaho Project Manager Brett Van Paepeghem met with Tamarack representatives Jan West and Cathy Dvorak last fall to assess the site and make Firewise plant species recommendations. Over this summer Alpha Nursery from Cascade completed the installation of the landscape and signage relating to wildfire issues has been installed. The project now serves as an educational demonstration for local residents and visitors to the resort.