Buffalo Field Office
| Contacts: | Lesley A. Elser | |||
| 307-261-7603 |
BLM Burns Slash Piles in the Bighorn Mountains
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Buffalo Field Office is planning to burn slash piles on BLM lands this fall and winter at several project sites in the Bighorn Mountains.
BLM has been working in the Billy Creek area, southwest of Buffalo, to improve forest health and reduce hazardous fuels near private lands and structures. Thinning treatments have removed ground juniper, and dead and dying trees. Much of the material has been made available for public firewood use while the remainder has been piled for burning.
Several years ago BLM treated about 20 acres adjacent to the Powder River Properties subdivision near Dull Knife Reservoir. The objectives were to reduce hazardous fuels by creating openings in lodgepole pine stands, and to improve big game habitat by removing young trees from meadows. Much of the post and pole material was sold and removed.
The Red Grade Road site is a small thinning project that was done to reduce hazardous fuels adjacent to private lands and structures. The objectives are similar to the Billy Creek project, where ground juniper and dead and dying trees were removed. The site is located about 10 miles southwest of Sheridan.
Burning may begin in December 2012 and continue through April 2013. All prescribed burn projects are conducted in accordance with approved burn plans which specify weather, smoke dispersal, and fuel moisture conditions.
For more information, please contact Bob Buhr at (307) 684-1193 or Jennifer Walker at (307) 684-1164.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Buffalo Field Office 1425 Fort Street Buffalo, WY 82834