Published
10 months agoon
By
Ron RichterA prescribed burn is planned for a 325 acre area of land in the Bighorn National Forest near Buffalo. According to Powder River District Ranger Thad Berrett, the prescribed burn off Highway 16 in the Grouse Mountain area could take place as soon as this week if weather and conditions allow. According to the Forest Service, the burn is intended to reduce hazardous fuels in the municipal watershed in the Buffalo Municipal Watershed Environmental Analysis project.
Prescribed burns reduce the impact of a potentially severe wildfire by removing forest debris and creating open pockets in mature timber stands. Prescribed fires also mimic naturally occurring fire and support wildlife by creating new habitat or improving existing habitat. In the years following a prescribed fire, burned areas often sustain more grasses and forbs, which offer abundant food for large herbivores like elk and mule deer.
Smoke will be visible from Buffalo, and some smoke could filter into the Buffalo area depending on winds. Burns may be ignited and held using either an Unmanned Aircraft System and/or hand crews, with signs placed on Highway 16 to inform people on the day of the burn.